Born of Conflict
by Anime-Ronin
Summary: Misato wanted her Shinji back – what she got back from the Eva was something rather unexpected.
1. Chapter 1

Born of Conflict

Author: Anime Ronin

Rating: M

Summary: Misato wanted her Shinji back – what she got back from the Eva was something rather unexpected.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

AN: Having a little fun with this one… don't take it too seriously, as I'm deviating from canon quite readily.

(Unit-01 Holding Area)

"GIVE ME BACK MY SHINJI!"

The distraught woman in front of the armor-less being had been hysterical for several minutes when the tests to bring back the Third Child, Shinji Ikari, had shown that something had gone wrong, and she'd broken down even further when only the white and blue plugsuit came out of the mess of LCL, so she and everyone else were quite surprised when a voice came from the inside of the supposedly empty plug.

"Ow. Be quite, Misato-chan…"

Misato's head snapped up, her eyes hopeful even as her cheeks were soaked with her tears, "Shinji?"

The voice came back, this time slightly sarcastic, "No, it's Chairman Kaga from Iron Chef."

Misato blushed for a second before something clicked in her mind – the voice wasn't Shinji's, "Who are you? You're not my Shinji." She stood and drew her sidearm, pointing it at the hole in the Entry Plug, "Come out with your hands up!"

A very put-upon sigh came from within the Entry Plug and the person who claimed to be Shinji said, "Alright, alright, just don't shoot me, alright? And can you get me something to wear?" With that, a man climbed out of the Plug and Misato's critical eye poured over him – tall, taller than most, actually, a bit on the lean side but the muscle tone there was perfect, like that of an athlete or of a male model. His dark hair hung limply around his face, wet with LCL, and storm blue eyes pierced the hair, boring into her soul as he looked her over as well, and with the scruff that was at his jaw, he looked like a more… well, HUMAN version of his father, albeit younger.

It was at this point that his last comment snapped in her mind and she looked down at his 'soldier' and immediately dropped her gun, "… damn."

In the booth, Ritsuko Akagi and Maya Ibuki both looked at the man who climbed out of the Entry Plug and didn't even flinch as the gun dropped out of Misato's hands and clattered to the deck below.

Maya's cheeks were the same color as the Second Child's hair as she absently recorded the entire event and she reached to the neck of her uniform and undid the two top buttons. My, why was it warm all of a sudden?

Ritsuko's jaw dropped slightly and her green eyes widened as she looked at the specimen that stood in front of Misato, "Yummy." Oh, yes, she needed to… run some tests on him…

Shinji looked at the shocked look on Misato's face and, yes, he knew that something was different, but the fact he was naked in front of her for the second time in recent memory was pressing on him, "Misato-chan?"

Misato shook herself out of her stupor, "Yes?"

"Can I have some clothes, please? I'm feeling a bit of a draft." THAT might explain the cold feeling that was doing marathon laps up and down his spine…

(Later)

Commander Gendo Ikari frowned slightly as he looked at the hospital gowned man on the examination table as the MRI continued to do its work, "Blood tests?"

"Confirm that it is Shinji Ikari, as do fingerprints," Dr. Akagi said with an odd sort of tone in her voice. "DNA tests are running, but the blood markers that we find in all of the Children match Shinji's."

Gendo adjusted his glasses – damned things, always slipping, "Does he know what's happened to him?"

Over the intercom, Shinji's voice came back, older than Gendo remembered, and rather sarcastic, "Gee, I've put on over a foot of vertical and nearly eighty pounds of muscle – no, I HAVEN'T noticed I've changed."

Ikari arched an eyebrow at Akagi and she immediately turned off the intercom, "Gomen, Commander." She composed herself and turned him towards the x-rays that were already up, "According to the readings on bone fusion and calcification, he's anywhere from the age of 22 to age 30, he's in relatively good health and as far as we can tell doesn't have any memories of what's happened to him beyond that of being absorbed by Unit-01."

Gendo grunted, "Anything else?"

"Not until we get the DNA results back, Commander."

Gendo mentally growled – this was not part of the plan, "Keep me apprised, Doctor Akagi." He turned on his heel and walked out of the examination room, sure that he had many things to account for in his plans…

Ritsuko sighed and sat down in her chair, turning on the intercom again, "I'm sorry about that, Third Child."

As the MRI machine moved down his torso to his hips, Shinji shrugged, "Why so formal, Doctor Akagi? You've seen me naked almost as many times as I have, so you can at least call me Shinji."

Inside the booth, Ritsuko smiled slightly for some odd reason and licked her lips, "Very well then, Shinji. Now, stay still while I finish the scans."

"Like I have anywhere else to go," she heard him grumble slightly.

Ritsuko, however, was thinking of something else – yes, she HAD seen him naked many times, every time in a purely professional, medical, way, but now… well, if she'd known that THIS was what he'd have looked like when he 'grew up', she would have fought Misato for guardianship of him. "Lucky bitch."

Shinji looked over at the booth, "Did you say something, Doctor?"

Ritsuko blushed a little and shook her head, "No, I didn't, Shinji, and stay still." She paused for a moment before she smiled, "And, as we are being all cozy here, please, call me Ritsuko."

The shiver went up and down Shinji's spine again, and it wasn't a shiver that he liked, "Alright."

Thirty minutes and two scans later, he was looking at Misato, who was looking at him, Lt. Maya Ibuki, who was looking over something on her clipboard, and Dr… Ritsuko, "So, Doc, did I pass? Am I healthy?"

'VERY healthy,' was the thought that went through all three ladies' minds at the same time, but it was Ritsuko who spoke, "Yes, you are, Shinji, but I'm afraid I have to ask you again – do you know what happened to you inside of the Eva that might have… caused this?"

Shinji looked around, "Is it really that cold in here? I'm… I'm getting shivers up and down my spine…"

Misato stepped forwards and handed him a bag, "Why don't you change into this, Shinji, and talk to us while you do?"

Shinji looked into the bag and saw a standard NERV coverall, some boots, boxers and socks, "Alright, Misato-chan." He hopped off of the medical table and walked behind a screen, forgetting completely that the back of his gown was open and didn't feel the three pairs of eyes that bored directly into his ass, "Alright, so where should I begin?"

AN: Alright, that's it for this part – don't ask me where this story is going because, honestly, I have no idea. Reviews, por favor (please).


	2. Chapter 2

2

AN: Am going to gloss over a few things, but they'll be gotten back to later.

Shinji pulled on the boxers provided, a utilitarian gray color, and the socks came on after that as he heard Misato drawl, "Well, why not start at the beginning?"

He shrugged to himself, "As good of place as any. Well, I remember warmth, the kind that you feel when you're sitting on the beach, or in a park, and … I remember something like the ocean." He pulled out the coveralls and stepped into them, pausing only for a moment, "And a voice. I remember a woman's voice."

Ritsuko's voice came through the screen, "Do you know whose voice, Shinji?"

Misato's wasn't far behind, "Yeah, was it your _girlfriend's_, Shin-chan?"

Shinji blushed and froze in place, stuttering, "W-what? G-g-g-girlfriend? I don't HAVE a girlfriend!"

Like a shark smelling blood in the water, Misato went for the kill, "Oh, _really_? Then why is it that almost EVERY female in your class called the house no less than three times in the past month to check up on you, Shinji?" She walked forwards and looked around the screen, an imaginary pair of devil horns poking out of her purple tresses, "Is there something you're not telling your Misato-chan, Shin-kun?"

Shinji sputtered for several seconds as he zipped up the coveralls, "They, they, they could have just been calling to check on me, nothing more!"

A purple eyebrow went up slightly, "So, that's your story and you're sticking to it, eh? Fine, I guess I can live with that… for now." Misato turned back around and walked back to where Ritsuko and Maya were, smirking at the dirty looks both females were giving her, "So, do you remember anything else, Shinji? Like who the woman's voice was?"

Shinji walked out from behind the screen with his boots in hand, "I… I think it was my mother's."

The playful mood that Misato had built up died a quick but very violent death as she stopped smiling, "I'm… I'm sorry, Shinji."

He shrugged, pulling on the boots, "It's not a problem, Misato, and it's just… odd. I don't remember anything else beyond that… and I'm not sure if there IS anything beyond that."

Ritsuko nodded as Maya scribbled down some notes, "Alright, Shinji. There's not a whole lot more we can do tonight, so I'm sending you home with strict orders for lots of sleep and to take it easy." She turned and pinned Misato with a glare, "THAT, Misato, means that he goes home by you getting him there in one piece, so no Formula 1 driving and, when you DO get there, he doesn't pick up that sty you and Asuka call an apartment."

Misato gave her old friend the most innocent look she was capable of, "Would I ever do that, Rits-chan?"

"Yes." Ritsuko, Misato and Shinji all looked at Maya, who turned the same exact color she had earlier, "Um… I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that…"

Misato sniffed in mock indignation even as her eyes twinkled with humor, "I'll have you know my driving is impeccable, Lt. Ibuki."

"For a demolition derby driver," Shinji stage whispered to Ritsuko, causing the doctor to cover her lips and smother a giggle as Misato wheeled around and pinned him with a glare. Shinji, however, didn't flinch and smirked, his own eyes twinkling with humor, "Hey, don't give me that look, Misato-chan. YOU are the one who plays those racing games at the home and you deliberately crash."

Misato gave a squeak of indignation even as Ritsuko nodded, "That explains so much." She looked at Shinji and frowned, "Are you sure you're alright, Shinji? You seem to be taking this rather… well."

Shinji shrugged, "It's probably the shock. When that wears off, I'm sure I'll be my normal, gibbering-in-fear and timid self."

'Damn,' all three ladies thought at once. They LIKED this Shinji… though for different reasons.

(Katsuragi / Ikari / Souryu Residence)

Shinji looked around the apartment again for the third time and Misato could see the look on his face – it was one part confusion, two parts worry and a healthy dash of revulsion tossed in for flavor, "Is something wrong, Shinji?"

He looked at her and shook his head, "No. Well, not really." He looked around and frowned, "Don't you and Asuka ever CLEAN?"

Misato blushed as she blatantly ignored the rather copious amount of laundry, garbage and miscellaneous items that littered every horizontal surface, not to mention a few of the vertical ones, too, "Um, well, we've kinda been busy."

Shinji was about to say something when Pen-Pen came waddling around the corner, his tray of toiletries in hand and a towel around his neck. The warm water penguin looked up at Shinji, frowned as much as a penguin could, and warked a, "Wark!"

Shinji smiled and knelt down, "Hey, Pen-Pen. It's me, Shinji."

The penguin appeared to arch an eyebrow, as if to say, 'Bullshit'.

Shinji looked at the mistrusting penguin and shrugged, "Fine, then I'll leave you to eat Misato's cooking instead of the sardines I prepare you every morning."

The turnaround was miraculous in the penguin as the pan of toiletries dropped and he appeared to bow several times to Shinji, warking incessantly before picking up the tray and waddling off to the bathroom. No, things had not changed too much in the house, but if either Misato or Shinji had been in the bathroom, they would have seen the never-before-seen Pen-Pen Dance of Victory and Joy, a small Shinji face printed on a flag that waved through the air quickly.

"Well, I guess he's glad you're back, Shin-kun," Misato said with a shrug. She looked over at him as he stood and smiled, "So, do you want to order out?"

Shinji shrugged as he made his way into his domain, the kitchen, and saw the warzone that it had become, "Let me guess – Hasenpfeffer?"

Misato nodded, "Yeah. Asuka wouldn't let me cook, so she tried." The Major's face scrunched up a bit, "I'm not sure what Hasenpfeffer is supposed to taste like, but I'm pretty sure what she served up wasn't it."

Shinji sighed and grabbed the apron nearby, "I'll wash, you dry, Misato, and don't tell Ritsuko."

Asuka found them still making a sizable dent in the collection of plates, pots and pans a few hours later, "Misato! Where's baka-Shiji? I heard he's out of that damned Eva."

"In here, Asuka," came back an unfamiliar voice, one that made Asuka's eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"Did you go and bring home some man-slut, Misato? Mein Gott! How can you do that with Shinji in the house? How pathetic are-" Asuka ranted as she stormed into the kitchen but stopped cold when she saw the man standing there and, more importantly, the glare he had leveled at her.

"Misato-san is NOT pathetic, Asuka," the man growled, his storm blue eyes blazing and his furry jaw clenched. "Apologize, now."

Asuka floundered for a minute before she found her voice and drew up to her rather unimpressive height, "Do you have ANY idea who I am? One call of 'rape' from me and the Section 2 people will-"

Asuka got no further as the man moved and had his hand wrapped around her throat, squeezing it tightly enough to cause her hands to go to his wrists and her eyes to bug out, "I know EXACTLY who you are, little girl, and if you do not stop annoying me I'm going to have to find another place to start hiding bodies."

Asuka tried to breathe but the hand around her throat was so strong that she didn't have a prayer, but Misato's hand on the man's shoulder stopped the squeezing, "Shin-chan, stop! She's confused, that's all."

"She's a spoiled pain in the ass, Misato," the man snarled back before he shoved her back into the table, sending her sprawling onto the surface and pain shooting into her legs and back. "How many other people has she threatened like that to get her own damned way?"

"I don't know, Shinji," Misato said, a little fear creeping into her voice at the sight of the angry man in front of her, "but trust me it's not going to happen. SHE instigated this fight, so if disciplinary actions are going to be taken, it'll be against her."

"But he tried to strangle me," Asuka rasped from the dinner table, her face red and a hand print on her pale throat. "And why did you call him 'Shin-chan'? Only the baka gets called that."

"And here I thought you had higher reasoning skills," Shinji sneered at Asuka before Misato steeped between them.

"This IS Shinji, Asuka," Misato explained quickly. "Something happened when we were trying to bring him back… and… well, this is him."

Asuka wiped the tears from her eyes as she looked at the man more closely – he looked like Commander Ikari, actually, far too much like him with the scruff on his jaw, "THAT is the wimpy, baka-Shinji? No way!"

Misato nodded but then smirked, "Not so wimpy now, eh?" She leaned back into Shinji and grinned, "He's ALL man, Asuka, and believe me when I say that."

Asuka alternately paled and flushed at the comment while Shinji just blushed, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I came out of the Entry Plug as I entered the world, Asuka – wet, hungry, cold and naked." Shinji felt a rush of something through him as he slid his arms around Misato's waist as she started to slide off of his chest, "Now, apologize."

Misato saw Asuka go as red as her plugsuit as she raged, "WHAT!" That, though, was rivaling for attention as she felt Shinji's arms go around her waist – it felt reassuringly good for some reason…

"You heard me – apologize. You've insulted me enough times in the past, but now I'm your elder and you don't insult your elders and get away with it." Mmmm… Shin-chan… Misato only half-heard the entire argument going on as she turned around and hugged him, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. Yes, she could get used to this…

"I WILL NOT! You're not my elder, Shinji! You can't be! Tell him- MISATO! Stop letting that hentai molest you!"

Misato sighed and raised her head, "If anyone is molesting someone, Asuka, it's me molesting him, and he's right – YOU started this, so apologize or… no dinner."

Asuka snorted, "Oh, like that's supposed to be a threat with YOUR cooking?"

"It is when we're ordering out," Misato shot back, putting her head back down on Shinji's shoulder. "Apologize."

Asuka growled for several minutes before she bit out a, "Sorry," and stormed back to her room.

Shinji looked down the hall, "Somehow, I doubt you mean that!"

What Asuka shouted back is not re-printable.

(Later)

Shinji sat on his bed, rocking back and forth slightly as his emotions, hormones and mind warred with one another with what was going on – he'd been putting up a good front for Misato, to let her know that things would get to what passed for normal in Tokyo-3, but then Asuka had come in and blown that straight to hell.

Anger. A red, searing, boiling ANGER is all he'd felt when she had started threatening him and he was ashamed with the way he reacted – he didn't mean to wrap his hand around her throat and start choking her, he really hadn't, but at the same time he felt shame another part of him felt an almost perverse satisfaction. She'd tormented him so much… teasing, abusing him physically and mentally with her words and gestures, all because she had a massive superiority complex that made her be the best and, when she couldn't be the best, she made everyone miserable while she pushed herself too hard and ultimately failed. It wasn't rocket science – it was in her medical file's psychological report.

Content. He'd felt a level of content that had been strangely absent when he and Misato had been driving home (at a reasonable rate of speed, for once), while they had been talking and doing the dishes, and later when they had been eating the take out dinner they had ordered. She'd been good to him, taking him in as she had and trying to shield him from the horrors of what they really did at NERV, but at the same time she'd probably not been the best person for him to live with given her tendencies to drink. Sure, he'd heard her mumble in her alcohol-induced sleep names and events that caused her to whimper at night and not sleep well, so she had demons of her own to deal with, but Shinji hoped that, whatever the demons she had, they wouldn't consume her as he liked having fun with her.

Amusement. Pen Pen's suspicion and, later, acceptance of him had been pretty amusing – he'd missed the antics of the warm water penguin… though Shinji would be damned if he couldn't get the remote control from the bird. Yes, war had been declared…

Lust. Shinji's cheeks colored as he remembered the feel of Misato's body against him and did his best to control his body's physical reaction to it, but it was a lost cause. She was a beautiful woman, so it was no wonder that she made him harder, as the comedy line went, than Chinese Algebra – of course, at his age, thinking of anything female did that, so it probably shouldn't be that surprising. Still, while the lust was nothing new to it, there was now some kind of… need, force, there to act on it and it had taken a lot of his willpower that night to not react when he and Misato had been on the couch together, rather close, and she'd decided to sit in his lap and snuggle.

Shinji laid down on his bed and curled into a ball, clutching his pillow and doing his best to go to sleep… but sleep didn't come easily that night…

Shinji, however, wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping that night – Misato Katsuragi was a woman of definite tastes and people who knew her knew that under-aged men didn't fall into those tastes. WHY, though, she felt the unending need to go into Shinji's room and ride him cross-eyed until they both forgot their names was beyond her. Sure, he was her friend, someone she could vent to and had done so with several times in the past, but beyond the teasing glances and flashes of forbidden flesh to get him to loosen up, she'd had no real inclination to do ANY of the more mature things with him.

Until they'd gotten home, that was.

When Asuka had been ranting and she'd pressed herself against Shinji, she'd felt something she hadn't felt in a while, a feeling that had been reinforced when he'd slid his hands around her and, later, when he'd let her snuggle with him. Attraction. – a pure, simple, naked attraction.

She shivered under her blanket as she felt her body react as an image of Naked, Manly Shinji flashed in front of her mind's eye – damn it! She… she… she was lonely. Sure, Kaji had been fun back in college, but he'd been a fill-in, semi-serious, boyfriend. Now, though, she needed someone more permanent and she'd be double-dipped in beer-enhanced chocolate if it wasn't SHINJI she was attracted to.

She shook her head as she reached to her nightstand, "Dirty old woman. Pervert. Shinji would never have ANYTHING to do with you…" She hated using this thing… it was a poor substitute for the real one…

Soon, though, all thoughts of her attraction to Shinji melted away as the object did its thankless job and took her into the land of blissful thoughts.

In her bedroom, Asuka massaged her throat with one hand while her other hand clutched a bear she'd gotten some time back – she was attracted to powerful men… and Shinji had been able to overpower her. She'd been thinking about things that night and a single thought had occurred to her – Shinji would be hers…

In his room, Shinji shivered.

In her room, still quaking in post-orgasmic bliss, Misato growled.

AN: Alrighty, let's get a few things out in the open right now – first of all, I am NOT a real Asuka/Shinji fan. She's treated him like dirt for so long that any kind of relationship that forms between them just isn't one built on solid ground in my eyes. Secondly, yes, I'm going to tease Shinji mercilessly with femmes of all types and put him into situations where any normal male would run and cower in a deep, dark closet – Shinji, though, won't be smart enough to do that so bloodflow will be directed 'south'. Such is the life of Shinji when a psycho-writer is in control…

Lastly, there will be some dark-ish overtones at time, like with what Shinji did to Asuka. He's got a lot of repressed rage and it'll boil over, eventually – I know one victim already, but as for any others… well…

Reviews, please.


	3. Chapter 3

3

AN: To the Anonymous Reader… thanks for the in-depth review, and I've looked it over carefully. As to the last question, he didn't do it so I could use it this chapter. : ) Shinji'll be clean-shaven for much of the rest of this fic…

Misato smothered a laugh when Shinji came out of the bathroom, his clean-shaven face dotted with toilet paper dots that were doing their best to stay on instead of fall off, soaked with his blood. He'd taken one look at himself in the mirror that morning and had asked her how to shave, saying he looked too much like his father for his own liking, and she'd told him that girls shaved different parts of their bodies than boys did, so unless he wanted to shave his legs, underarms or nether regions, he was on his own after the basics.

"Obviously my lessons will take time to sink in, young Padawan," she teased him lightly as he walked towards the kitchen. He shot her a dirty look but she only grinned wider, "Aw, don't be like that, Shin-chan. It'll get better, I promise. You should have seen my legs the first time I tried to shave – looked like I'd used a chainsaw."

He winced slightly as his mind processed the visual, "Thank you for the mental image, Misato-san. Just what I need before breakfast…"

She 'shot' him with her forefinger and thumb, "No problem. So, you ready for today?"

He gave her a worried look, "What are we doing?"

"We're getting you some clothes, unless you like NERV-issue coveralls," she said with a grin. He took on a very panicked look and she held up her hands, "Now, now, don't be like that, Shinji, it won't be that bad. We're just getting a few necessary things."

"Somehow I see 'necessary' also including at least one outfit for you too, Misato," he grumbled as he went to the fridge.

"But of course! After all, I'm giving you my expert opinion on fashion, right?" Her eyes trained up his legs and rested firmly on his backside as he looked into the ice box, a slightly dreamy smile coming to her lips as her imagination started to get the better of her, "Besides, it won't be that bad. I might even model some lingerie for you, if you ask nicely."

Inside of the ice box, Shinji froze, his mind processing the image of Misato, lingerie and him. His body warred with itself, blood flow moving first to his nose and then down to his crotch, but then reversing course as it couldn't decided what was more important. So, given the indecisiveness of his body, he went with an old standby and jerked inside of a closed container, slamming his head into the top of the machine, "Ow!"

Misato grinned and took a sip of her morning beer, "Hey, don't rattle that around too much, Shinji, we've got shopping to do."

Shinji pulled out of the fridge and rubbed the back of his head, "That wasn't nice, Misato."

She stood, stretched, and yawned, "Who said I was teasing, Shinji?" She went to her room and, once the door closed, she stopped grinning and shivered, "Down girl. You can't jump him…"

The 'yet' didn't NEED to be said… not at this point…

In the kitchen Shinji was making himself breakfast and shivered slightly even as the heat of the wok permeated the room – the images of Misato in lingerie were not exactly new, he'd seen her in her underwear before, hell, he'd washed her lingerie, so he'd seen them more often than she had, but still…

He shook his head and dropped the chopped vegetables into the wok, "Damned body… always betrays me…"

In her bedroom, Asuka slept fitfully, unsure if the dreams she was having meant anything… she was happy, had the man of her dreams, but he was being snuck out from under her by some purple… no… blue… grrr, either way, bimbo!

(Deep inside of NERV)

"Rei, I have a rather… delicate… assignment for you."

She mentally arched an eyebrow at the Commander as he walked around the tube she was floating in, but also shuddered as his eyes roamed up and down her body as he walked. 'Pervert,' she mentally growled before she spoke, "What is it, Commander?"

"You are aware of the… unforeseen side effects of retrieving the Third Child, correct?" She nodded and he went on, "I am unsure if I can control him, Rei. I want you to keep an eye on him, to figure out a way to help make him complacent, and if that is not possible, I want you to think of ways to help me get rid of him."

Wind-up Doll. Emotionless Tool. Blue-haired Whore. Albino Freak. Commander's Pet. All of these terms came to mind in the voice of Pilot Souryu as she processed what it was that Commander Ikari was asking her to do. Pilot Ikari had become a fixture in her life and, now that he had changed beyond the scope of what the Commander was capable of handling easily, she was being asked to counteract this or, if needed, terminate Pilot Ikari. This… rankled her, greatly, "I understand, Commander." 'Asshole.'

Had anyone been able to read her thoughts, they would have been shocked at them, given her normal loyalty to the Commander, but as of late, she had been experiencing emotional reactions that stemmed from several sources, the first of which happened to Shinji Ikari himself. He had treated her with respect, with… kindness, something she had not been used to beyond the Commander, and it had taken her a while before she had been able to process it, but slowly it was taking hold that she was not just a tool or a robot, she was a human being.

The second source had come from something that she had at first been apprehensive of, but the Internet connection at her apartment had gotten a lot of use as of late. Not only had she found numerous chat-rooms for the emotionally repressed, but she'd also found on-line games that could help one express their anger. So far, she'd racked up an impressive 51,635 wins in the 'Whack-A-Mole' game, customizable to where the moles could be given separate faces, and while she'd managed to replicate the Eva's and Pilot Souryu's faces, she had yet to perfect Commander Ikari's face.

Soon the tests were over and Rei went to the showers to clean off the smell and feel of the LCL, leaving Gendo to look over the results of the scans and ponder what he was going to do. He had no doubt in his mind that Rei would do as he asked her, she had never failed him before, but one thing that was starting to wear on him was the fact that the old men at SEELE were going to ask questions if his… if the Third Child's condition became known. Their meddling could throw off his entire plan, something he did not need to happen.

'Still,' he mused silently, 'this could also be a great boon.'

(Tokyo-3 Mall)

Shinji hung his head slightly as Misato and the saleswoman walked around him for the third time, their eyes scrutinizing the tenth set of clothes he had put on and, while he had already been mortified by Misato's asking him to model underwear for her (a request he'd refused outright and no amount of wheedling had changed his mind), he had heard a four year old girl ask her mother why he was being dressed and the answer didn't help him any either, 'Because most men don't know how to dress themselves properly, honey.'

Misato stopped in front of him and her hands went to his belt, making him freeze in place, "What do you think? Too garish?"

The saleswoman shook her head, "No, with those pants it's a fine belt."

Misato nodded and looked up at him, smiling angelically, "Alright, Shinji, what do you think?"

"I think from here I can see your little devil horns, Misato," he grumbled even as he felt a flush run up his neck and into his cheeks. Damn it, her hands where they were was making it not only hard to think, but harder to keep his body under control, control that, at best, was tenuous.

She shot him a wink and let go, "Alright, we'll take them all and he'll wear those out."

Shinji sighed as he stepped down and clipped off the tags with a pair of scissors, but then looked at the small mountain of clothes that they had bought already. Naturally, he had been the one carrying the majority of them, even Misato's clothes, though that was nothing new, and he knew that his wardrobe was not only filled, but it was probably overflowing by this point – why couldn't he say 'no' to Misato? Sure, she had that particular smile and power over him, but was he really that much of a wuss?

'Yes' seemed to sum his answer up quite nicely.

Soon they were making their way towards the food court and Misato found herself stealing glances over at Shinji – shaven, dressed nicely and with an oddly contemplative look on his face, Misato found a growing curiosity starting to well up within her. Sure, there were still marks on him that she could readily identify as 'Shinji', but now with him older (at least in body), she was finding it harder and harder to see the youth she loved to tease and in his place was a man that, at present, she was having a blast hanging around.

'And the truly sad part of this situation is that he's the most stable male figure in my life that is not a warm water penguin,' she mused slightly as they approached the food court. 'How sad is that?'

"Hey, isn't that Dr. Akagi and Lt. Ibuki over there?"

Misato jerked slightly at Shinji's voice and looked over at a table where, indeed, Ritsuko and Maya were sitting, a laptop and many notes between them. A slow grin pulled across her lips as she nodded and nudged Shinji in that direction, "Let's go talk with them, Shin-kun."

He looked over at her with a worried look, "Should we? It might be work related."

She winked at him, "And it might not be." They got close and she snickered slightly as Ritsuko looked up and sighed, "What, not happy to see me, Rits-chan?"

"No, Misato, I am happy to see you and Shinji. I'd ask what brings you here, but the small mountain of bags Shinji's carrying for you pretty much tells me that," Ritsuko deadpanned slightly, getting a slight giggle out of Maya and a snort from the bag-laden Shinji.

Misato waved her hand slightly, "That's right, he can handle it. So," she said, a sly tone coming to her voice, "how's your date with Maya going?"

Maya, who had been taking a drink from her canned ice tea, suddenly spit it out in a spray that not only soaked the front of Ritsuko's blouse, but also caught Shinji about the belt-line, causing the young woman to start hacking and gagging while turning red while Ritsuko didn't give Misato the satisfaction of a response beyond rising, "We'll talk in the ladies room, Misato."

The two ladies walked off and Shinji put down the bags, "Are you alright, Lieutenant Ibuki?"

Maya nodded quickly and wiped her face before drying the papers and laptop, which was thankfully waterproof after the first three laptops she'd owned had died via coffee spills, "I'm fine, Mr. Ikari, thank you."

Shinji winced, "Could you not call me that? I'm just Shinji…"

Maya blushed slightly, "Then please call me Maya, at least while we're not at NERV." She motioned for him to sit and gave him a few napkins to dry himself with, "So, Shinji, how are you?"

He shrugged slightly and looked around, "I'm trying to get used to everything that happened, but… well, it is taking some time."

Maya nodded, "Growing up is like that, sometimes." She looked at the bags around him and grinned, "So, you survived a shopping trip with Major Katsuragi? I've heard that such a thing has broken stronger men."

He grinned at her a little and her heart jumped a bit – he had a nice smile and it softened his face a lot… "I've done it before, so I know about that, but this time it wasn't so bad." He then frowned, "Though I seem to have more formal clothes than I think were necessary to buy."

"Be glad she stopped where she did, especially as NERV is footing the bill," Maya said as, in her mind's eye, she imagined Shinji in his formal wear, ranging from 'Ikari, Shinji Ikari, 007' to 'Mr. Shinji Ikari-Ibuki', dressed in his wedding tuxedo… which didn't last long as he carried her over the threshold and to their wedding bed…

Shinji frowned a little as Maya suddenly blushed, her eyes glazing slightly and a slightly, "Maya? Are you alright?"

She seemed to instantly snap out of it, her blush increasing, "Um, fine, I'm fine, Shinji. I was just… daydreaming…"

Inside of the Ladies Room, however, there was a far more serious conversation going on as Ritsuko held her blouse under the hand drier, having scrubbed most of the tea stains out of it, "You are getting the bill for this, Misato, and that's final."

Misato hung her head, "I'm sorry, Rits, but it was too good of a target to pass up."

Ritsuko sighed and shook her head, putting her blouse back on, "So, Misato, I notice that you didn't have Shinji chained to you – taking it slow, are we?"

Misato's good mood vanished, "It's not like that, Ritsuko."

The fake blonde arched a dark eyebrow, "Really? What, still see him as your ward?"

Misato growled, "It's complicated, and that's all I'm going to say."

"Why?"

It took Misato a few minutes, but she finally grumbled, "Because I haven't figured it out myself."

Ritsuko frowned, "Is there something you want to tell me, Misato? Something that might adversely effect your ability to give orders, should the need arise?"

Misato shook her head, "No, Ritsuko, I'm fine, it's just… it's been a while, you know? I'm not sure if what I feel is a crush or the real thing."

Ritsuko's voice was somewhat stern when she replied, "He's mentally 14, Misato – it shouldn't be ANYTHING." Her voice, however, didn't allow Misato to know that Ritsuko was also trying to convince herself that Shinji was too young and any relationship she tried with him herself would fall flat on its face.

Misato, apparently, had the ability to read deeper into voice than Ritsuko knew as the purple-haired Major pinned her with a glare, "Don't try and get self-righteous with me, Ritsuko, because I saw the looks you were giving him, Maya, too."

Ritsuko blushed, "I was NOT checking Maya out!"

Normally, Misato would have made a quip about denial and a river in Egypt but she wasn't in the mood, "No, SHE was checking him out, too, so don't play me."

Ritsuko got ahold of herself and shook her head, "She might be, Misato, but remember that's alright to look, but not touch. He has to be in a very precarious place right now, given everything that's happened in the past twenty four hours." She took a breath and let it out slowly, "Remember that, Misato, before you do anything rash."

AN: Alright, we're getting a little deeper into things – next part has some action at NERV and interaction between father and son. I'm going to try and work everyone into this in a progression, but things (having mapped out a few chapters ahead) will get tedious for a bit. Reviews, please.


	4. Chapter 4

4

AN: Be warned, things move quickly in the later parts of this chapter – may not make sense now, but it will, hopefully, in a chapter or two.

"Tell me again why I'm having yet ANOTHER physical less than twenty four hours after my last one, Doctor Akagi?"

Ritsuko arched an eyebrow – no 'Ritsuko'? Oh dear, "It is standard procedure, Shinji."

Shinji looked over at her as the scanners passed over him once again, "As I'm sure this hasn't happened to anyone else before, how in the hell can there be a 'standard procedure'?"

From over her shoulder, Misato leaned down and spoke into the microphone, "Just calm down, Shinji. The Commander asked for us to make sure that nothing was wrong with you, that's all."

"Like he gives a rat's ass," was grumbled by Shinji almost too low for anyone to hear, but not quite low enough.

Ritsuko was about to make a comment about the Commander when the door opened and Rei walked in, still in her plugsuit from an earlier Synch test, "Hello, Rei. What brings you here?"

"Pilot Ikari's well-being does, Dr. Akagi," came the monotone reply as Rei looked Shinji's medical gown-clad body over with her red eyes. A slight pink tinge filled her cheeks and she looked away, "Is he well?"

'Oh dear, I do believe Rei has a crush,' Ritsuko thought as she smiled slightly, "He's fine, Rei."

'Man-stealing little-' Misato snarled mentally before she caught herself. No, Rei was too young for Shinji now… at least physically. So, her anger forgotten due to a technicality, Misato grinned a little and slid next to Rei, "Do you like what you see, Miss Ayanami?"

The deepening blush of Rei's cheeks was all the answer that either female really needed as the scans ended and Shinji sat up. He looked over and saw the newest occupant of the medical booth and blinked, "Oh, hi, Rei. I didn't see you there."

Rei nodded slightly, "Pilot Ikari." Externally she was getting back into control of herself, but internally she felt the overwhelming need to fly through the glass, grab Shinji around his chest and proclaim him as hers for all the world, or at least NERV, to see. Good thing this was all internal, though, "I see that the rumors of your physical aging are true."

Shinji shrugged and slid off of the table, "Getting older isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sure, it's nice, but it's too different from what I knew."

Rei nodded, "Your sense of homeostasis has been disrupted, which leads to your being uncomfortable." She looked over at the doctor, who had a brown brow arched, "How are his synchronization scores, Doctor Akagi? Will he be able to pilot Unit-01?"

Ritsuko shrugged, not sure why Rei was asking instead of the Commander, "We will be testing him in Unit-01 later, so you can tell the Commander that if he is curious, he can come and check himself instead of sending you to ask for him."

Rei didn't bat an eye, knowing that the Commander's reputation within the base and the opinion of him was something of an open secret, "I shall tell him that, Doctor." She turned and paused, looking back over her shoulder, "I am glad to see you are well, Pilot Ikari." With that, Rei left.

Shinji blinked several times before he muttered, "What the hell was that about?" Girls – they were weird.

(Elsewhere, later)

Gendo arched an eyebrow, "She said WHAT?"

"Doctor Akagi said that if you wanted to know of the condition of the Third Child, you could ask her yourself instead of sending me to ask for you, sir," Rei said and he'd be damned if there wasn't a hint of a smirk in her voice.

Gendo growled and stood up, pressing the call button for his secretary, "Where is Doctor Akagi?"

The secretary came back a few moments later with, "She is with Major Katsuragi and Pilot Ikari in the fitting room getting Pilot Ikari his new plug suit. Should I summon her here, sir?"

"Summon all three of them," Gendo growled. Ten minutes later, Gendo growled, "Do you have any idea how close to insubordination you are coming to, Doctor Akagi? When I send Rei to get the information I require, it is as if I'm asking myself – you tell her everything, no questions asked." Both the Major and the Doctor blinked, not if to take him seriously, but Shinji, dressed in a pair of NERV-issue coveralls once again, snorted, "Is there something you want to say, Third Child?"

"Yeah, there is – stop treating people like they are tools."

Gendo, for a moment, felt like smiling but instead went with his more traditional first impulse – intimidation, "What did you just say, Third Child?" His son would not buck up against him. He was too soft, too much like his mother…

Shinji stepped forwards and put his hands on the desk, leaning down until his face was only an inch or two from Gendo's, "I said, 'stop treating people like they are tools'."

Gendo arched an eyebrow, "And why should I listen to you? You are not in command of this facility, I am, and add to that you are technically my subordinate. I can have you imprisoned for this."

"You could, but then you'd be up shit creek so far that not even a paddle could save your sorry ass," Shinji growled at him, fire spitting from his eyes. This shocked Gendo, especially given how emotionally repressed his son was and the total lack of spine.

"Shinji, calm down," Major Katsuragi said as she approached his force-grown son. There was a healthy dose of fear in her eyes and, unless he was mistaken, it wasn't directed towards his personal well-being, "He's not worth being put into the brig for, Shinji. Control yourself."

"I'm. Trying," his son growled, the fire still growing in his eyes. "Body changed but the mind didn't – not as easy to control the impulse to rip his throat out anymore."

Gendo blinked, frowned, and then brought his fingers together, "Have you told Dr. Akagi of this, Pilot? Or were you too busy having sex with her, Lt. Ibuki and Major Katsuragi to care to inform her?"

It happened too quickly for Gendo to stop – Shinji's hand flashed out and grabbed him by the front of the shirt and he found himself being hauled across his desk by his son, coming nose to nose with a very, VERY angry person. Shouts of alarm came from both Major Katsuragi and Dr. Akagi, but none of that mattered as Gendo saw his life flash before his eyes while the grip on his shirt continued to increase, an act that was starting to cut off blood flow to his brain and cause spots to form before his eyes.

Shinji's voice sounded rather distant when he spoke, "Die." Before Gendo could actually process what was being said, he found himself sailing through the air and, with a sudden impact and a flash of light, he felt nothing as unconsciousness claimed him.

Ritsuko, seeing the murderous intent in Shinji's eyes, shouted to Misato, "Stop him!" The Major did her best and threw herself onto Shinji's back, putting him into a choke hold that he appeared to completely ignore at first, but when she locked her legs in around his waist he appeared to slow somewhat.

Rei was the next to move as she stepped in front of the raging Third Child, her eyes flat. As he staggered towards her, Major Katsuragi on his back, Rei measured Shinji carefully before she spun and lashed out with a back kick into his chest. Air rushed out of the Third Child's lungs as he topped back, Major Katsuragi screeched slightly as they both fell, but it was enough as the Third Child turned in mid-fall and landed to where the Major wasn't hurt.

Several people rushed through the door and Doctor Akagi shouted out orders to check on the commander and to call medical teams while she produced a syringe from her pocket and a vial as well, "Hold him still, you two." Rei grabbed his legs, still clad in her plug suit, and Misato stayed right where she was while Shinji started to struggle, so Ritsuko jabbed the needle deeply into his ass and injected the contents of the hypodermic.

As Shinji's thrashing began to weaken, Misato managed to ask, "What was that, Ritsuko?"

"A sedative, Misato."

Misato gave her an incredulous look as the medical teams arrived, "You had that on you WHY?"

Ritsuko capped the needle and put it away, "I always have something like that on me, just in case." She looked up as a gurney approached, "I want him restrained and in the ICU stat. I don't know how long that dose is going to last, so let's plan for the worst."

"What about the Commander?"

Ritsuko growled under her breath and flipped her hand at the security people, "Let them deal with him – the Third Child is our priority right now."

(Later)

"It appears that Ikari hasn't been telling us everything." Pictures of Shinji Ikari, now looking rather grown up and dressed in a medical gown, flashed up on the screen before the pictures were replaced by medical tests that proved he was the Third Child.

"From the reports I get, his son is rather unstable, enough so that he attacked his father in open view of everyone present." The tests disappeared and video proof of the attack came up, showing the rather violent nature of the now-grown Third Child.

"This could indeed be a problem." The pictures vanished and large numbered slabs filled the monitors, "Have his condition carefully watched by our mole. Should the situation need it, have Ikari eliminated."

"Which Ikari, though?"

No answer came.

"Ah, I see."

AN: Next part, some explanations. Reviews, please.


	5. Chapter 5

5

AN: Yes, I live, but I've been having a bout of RL and writer's block – sorry this is short.

(NERV Medical)

Ritsuko looked at the chart in front of her and, for the first time in a long time, was confused, "Oh dear."

Misato's head, which had been laying on a doubly (physically and chemically) restrained Shinji's chest, snapped up, "What's wrong, Rits?"

Ritsuko shook her head, "It appears that Shinji was right, to an extent." She handed Misato the chart and explained, "Look at his CBC and tell me what you see."

Misato looked at the chart for the moment and frowned, "Um, lots of big numbers?"

Ritsuko nodded and took the charts back, "That's right, Misato – his enzymes, white blood cell count, hemoglobin and various other counts are all out of whack. His testosterone and serotonin levels are both through the roof, surprisingly his estragon levels are up there too, and I'm not sure WHAT this Unknown is, but it's probably not supposed to be there."

Rei, from her position on the other side of the bed, frowned, "Is he in danger, Doctor?"

Ritsuko looked at the First Child for a moment before she sighed and shook her head, "Honestly, Rei, I don't know. Part of this is that his mind is catching up with his body, I'm sure of it, but the other parts…" Ritsuko left it hanging, saying all that needed to be said on the subject.

Rei nodded, "And Commander Ikari? What is his prognosis?"

"He'll live, Rei," Ritsuko said with an off-hand manner, but then clarified, "but he'll be sore for the next few days. He's a little banged up, but I don't think Shinji did THAT much damage to him."

Rei nodded, "Then he will put Pilot Ikari into the brig for attacking a superior officer."

Ritsuko nodded but Shinji, in his medicated state, merely snorted, an act that shouldn't have been possible, but Ritsuko shrugged it off, "I'm sure he will, Rei."

Away from the conversation, a nurse filled a syringe from a source bottle and, when finished, walked over to the Commander's bed, "Doctor? Should I give him the boosters you ordered in his IV or do it sub-q?"

Ritsuko looked over at the nurse, a new one who had been there only for a few days, and frowned, "Hmm, in his IV, Nurse Ogawa." The nurse nodded and injected the syringe into the Commander's bag before looking back at Misato, "I'll be back later, Misato – don't molest him in his sleep."

Misato glared daggers at Ritsuko, "I'd never molest him in his sleep, Doctor Akagi." Ritsuko and Rei both nodded but Misato's glare turned into a mischievous grin, "I want him to be awake if I molest him." The faux blonde and the blue-haired albino both glared at the purple-haired Major but said nothing as they left.

Nobody, though, paid much attention to Commander Ikari's vital signs on the monitors as they began to fluctuate slightly.

AN: It's been a while, yes, I know, but the story has undergone several large re-writes over the past week and, RL aside, I'm still working on it. Reviews, please.


	6. Chapter 6

6

AN: As I'm already changing things (and because I don't have my episode guide handy), I'm going to assume this is before Touji's called to be the next Child. If it's after it… oh well.

(School)

"So, how is Shinji, Asuka?" She looked up at the speaker and saw that it was Hikari, her friend, and that she looked genuinely concerned, "I… I thought he would be back by now."

"The Baka IS back, Hikari, but there's something even more wrong with him now than usual so he's at the base hospital." She smirked and went back to typing, "Still, it doesn't matter – NERV still has its best pilot ready to go."

Off to the side, the Stooges, the bane of her existence, snorted, "Yeah, and what're you doing while Rei's on stand-by?"

Asuka growled as a few of the students in class chuckled, "Shut it, Kensuke! That Doll isn't any better than me."

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," Kensuke whispered to Touji, who looked at him blankly for a moment before Kensuke sighed and looked at Hikari. "Class Rep, I think you need to train him better – he's slipping."

Hikari looked at Kensuke oddly, "Since when do you quote Shakespeare, Kensuke? I thought you were more… you know, military minded."

Kensuke nodded, "I am, but have you read the last act of Macbeth? It's FILLED with intrigue and murder…" The spectacled boy sighed and adjusted his glasses, "Good stuff."

"Idiot," Asuka growled, her temper starting to get the better of her, "and Rei's by the Baka's side for some reason. Maybe she thinks that he'll notice she's female if she sticks around him long enough…" As soon as this comment left her lips, though, Asuka remembered something – the Baka wasn't the stick boy he used to be, no, he was hot, older and decidedly nice… when in a good mood. Damn it, the Doll was getting a leg up on her…

"So when is he going to be back?" Asuka snapped out of her worry and looked at Hikari, who looked genuinely curious, "IS he coming back?"

Asuka shrugged, "I don't know, but if he does, the Baka will still be his spineless self, not worth anyone's time."

A dark look crossed Hikari's face, "I don't see why you put him down like that, Asuka. Shinji's… a nice guy." A rosy blush started to fill Hikari's cheeks, "Some girls might find him attractive if you didn't constantly berate him."

Inside of Asuka's chest, her heart clenched even as her mind started to go into spin control, "'Some girls'? Who'd what a loser like him? All he does is clean and cook! He's not even much to look at." 'That's right, Hikari, take the bait… don't go looking for MY Shinji…'

Hikari's hands balled up and went to her hips, "THAT is exactly what I'm talking about, Asuka. Can't you ever say anything NICE about him? After all, you live with him and he was fighting those Angels long before you got here."

Asuka sniffed, "He wasn't that good."

Kensuke stood, his hand held high and a finger pointed, "I beg to differ, Asuka. From what I've read, he'd never been in an Eva before he got here and he STILL beat the thing."

"And got the Third Stooge's sister hurt," Asuka snapped out, something she almost regretted as Touji growled and stood up. "If he'd been trained even a TENTH as good as I was, nobody would have been hurt."

"Shut your mouth, Asuka," Touji growled, his eyes burning. "Me and everyone here have had it up to HERE," he went on, raising his hand up to his eyebrows, "with you and how 'great' you supposedly are. If you're so damned good, why in the hell are the Angels still attacking? Why don't you take the fight to them? Or CAN you?"

Asuka rallied, her blue eyes spitting fire of their own, "Look, STOOGE, my job isn't as easy as you think!"

"Then stop making like you're the end all, be all of things!"

Asuka opened her mouth to give a scathing rebuttal when the door opened and the Sensei walked in, which lead to Hikari going through their ritual, "Stand, bow, sit," motions and class beginning. Stupid Stooges. Stupid Hikari. Stupid Doll. Baka Shinji…

(NERV Medical)

"Charge to 300!"

BA-WHAP!

"Still in V-Fib!"

Ritsuko growled and pulled the paddles away, "Push another ampoule of insulin and put the paddles at full charge." She watched the ampoule being forced into the central line that they'd put into the Commander not ten minutes ago and watched his blood sugar levels, which had gone hay-wire twenty minutes ago, which had sent his pulse into the high one hundreds and stayed there, "Clear!" Everyone pulled away as she pressed the paddles to the man's chest and triggered the paddles.

BA-WHAP!

The Commander's body surged off of the table, arching up, and for a brief instant his vitals stopped dead cold, but soon they started back up again and began to surge up, "Shit! Alright, give me the black vial, we're doing a controlled kill." A controlled kill was just that, a controlled way of stopping a person's heart and brain function for a short period of time so that whatever was causing them to go into shock or arrest could be taken care of, but it was risky in that if it was held too long the person would just stay dead.

Off to the side, in his medicated state, Shinji was grinning even as Misato watched in horror as her boss was being killed to save his life.

On the other side of the observation glass, Rei Ayanami reached into her school dress and gripped a source bottle that she had pulled from the medical ward. Her orders had been quite clear as to what was to be done, but to watch things happen like this… it almost made her want to cry.

"I'll take that, Rei." She looked up at the Sub-Commander, who had a grim look on his face, "Your job is done."

Rei nodded and handed over the source, "Sub-Commander, was this necessary?"

He nodded and looked at the husband of his dead student as his chest was being cracked open by Doctor Akagi, "I believe it was, Rei, but even if it was not, we had our orders."

Rei nodded, "Very well. May I be excused to pursue Pilot Ikari, then?"

Kozo Fuyutsuki looked at her with an odd look, "You DO realize that he's at least a decade older than you, right?"

Her red gaze unnerved him slightly, "As you were at least two decades older than Yui Ikari, Sub-Commander."

He winced, "Point. Give him time, First Child, let Shinji stabilize before you make any decisions."

Rei nodded and neither said anything until they heard Doctor Akagi, an hour later, sigh, "Call the time."

"Midnight."

"Let the record show that Commander Gendo Ikari is being pronounced dead at 12 midnight…"

AN: Alright, I lied – in a few reviews, I said I had at least four pages (and I do, barely), but given where the next part is going, I'm chopping this one off as a stand-alone filler/semi-chapter. Reviews, please.


	7. Chapter 7

7

AN: sorry this has taken so long, but RL (graduating – woo hoo…) and WB (writer's block) have taken their toll – am not promising anything as to the quality here-in… am also trying to get back to the comedy a bit. Maybe a little adult in some places, but they're not too bad.

(NERV Medical)

"Well, that went well," Misato said as she jabbed the power button on the remote to kill the television, which had been broadcasting Commander Ikari's funeral.

"I only needed to vomit twice," Shinji said as he sipped some water. He'd been awake for the past few hours, having woken up with a start and claiming to not remember the past days, let alone the attack, and when he was filled in on what had happened he'd simply arched an eyebrow at her. To say that he appeared totally not interested in the fact that his father was dead would be an understatement, but Misato knew that there were issues to be dealt with there so she didn't press the matter all that much. "Why is it that when someone dies, they are spoken about as if they were some kind of saint when in reality they were real bastards?"

Misato shrugged, watching the doors open to admit Ritsuko and Rei, both of whom were dressed in dark colors of mourning, "I don't know, Shinji. What would you have said?"

Shinji appeared to think about it for a second before his head started to move rhythmically from one side to the other, "Ding-dong the rat bastard's dead, which old rat, the ugly rat." Everyone in the room stopped and looked at him, seeing a slight grin on his face as he continued, "And were I physically able to, I'd probably have been dancing, too."

Ritsuko glared at Misato, "What did I tell you about letting him watch those old American movies? That they'd only encourage him." She reached over and took the medical chart even as Misato looked torn between wanting to look contrite and laughing at Shinji's impromptu act, "How do you feel, Shinji?"

"I'm ready for our date tonight if you'll sign me out, Doctor," Shinji promptly replied, adding in a bit of a wiggle to his eyebrows as he looked in her direction. "I can't promise much, but given I'm eating out of a bag right now, I can tell you I'm a cheap date."

Misato looked up at Ritsuko, who had a slight grin tugging at her lips, and glared, "Hey, hands off, Rits-chan. He's MY date for tonight." Misato linked her arm into Shinji's and gripped his hand, pulling it to her chest as she batted her eyelashes at Shinji, "I'll even cook dinner."

"I thought the idea of a date was to encourage romantic and sexual feelings between two people, Major Katsuragi, not potentially poison them," Rei deadpanned from behind a privacy screen, where she was apparently changing clothes.

If looks could kill, Misato's glare in Rei's general direction would have vaporized an Angel with a full AT Field in place, "Quiet, you, and my cooking's not that bad. I'm just lazy."

"Never were truer words spoken," Ritsuko said with a slight grin on her lips as she continued to write on her clipboard, "but I do believe that Shinji's release from here should be celebrated. How about we go out to dinner?" Ritsuko looked at him and winked, smiling at Misato's gaze came to her, "Just the two of us, Shinji, and I promise to wear something slinky."

Before Shinji could respond, Misato's grip on his hand tightened just a little too much, causing him to yelp, which caused Misato to let his hand go and apologize, "Sorry, Shinji." She looked back up at Ritsuko, who wore a triumphant look on her face, and she hissed, "May I talk to you in private _DOCTOR _Akagi?" Without waiting for a response, she got up and dragged Ritsuko out of the medical bay by her ear, bringing yelps of pain from Ritsuko that were cut off by the door shutting.

Shinji looked over at the privacy screen in time to see Rei walk out from behind it, once again dressed in her school uniform, "Did any part of that seem strange to you?"

Rei arched a blue eyebrow at him, "Pilot Ikari… Shinji, this is NERV. Strange is a requirement of the job."

Shinji blinked as his mind placed the quote after a moment, "'Weird is part of the job'. I didn't know you were a Star Trek fan, Rei."

Rei's albino skin suddenly colored as she looked down at the floor, her hands clasping behind her back as she slowly drug one toe of her foot back and forth, "I… have found myself watching more and more supposedly 'classic' television as of late, Shinji. According to Mr. Aida, Star Trek is as classic as American television gets." She then frowned, though, and looked up, her blush quickly fading, "I must ask you, though, what you wish for me to tell the rest of the class regarding your condition. Class Representative Horaki has indicated that she is quite worried about you."

Shinji arched his own eyebrow as he scratched his cheek, which was in desperate need of a shave, "I'll… have to get back to you on that, Ayanami-san."

"Chan."

"Huh?"

Rei blushed again and looked at her feet, "You are indeed older than I am now, Shinji, and it is only proper that I am referred to by '-chan'."

Shinji, now very confused, shook his head, "Well, if we're being formal, then, I guess I can't be 'Shinji' anymore – either Ikari-san or Ikari-sama, I would think." Rei seemed to wilt a bit at this and Shinji backtracked, "Or we can just forget the entire thing and stick with our names. Which do you prefer?"

Outside of the medical bay, though, an entirely different conversation was going on and it was Ritsuko who was taking the lead, "Oh, come off of it, Misato. I was just flirting with Shinji – it was harmless."

"Says the doctor who was sleeping with his father," Misato sniped back, her brown eyes blazing with fury.

Ritsuko snorted, "There was very little 'sleeping' in what Gendo and I were doing, Major, and even less pleasure." Ritsuko looked at her friend and arched a dark eyebrow, "Now, tell me, what are you intentions with Shinji?"

Misato's fury quickly left and panic took its place, "Whatareyoutalkingabout?"

Ritsuko shook her head, "Misato, I'm not blind – I've SEEN how you've looked at him." Ritsuko then shrugged, "Sure, you're not alone, most of the females at NERV have looked at him that way at some point in time or another, but you and I both know that even before his… aging… there was something there that was NOT Guardian/Ward in nature."

Misato flushed a bit and looked down, her panic leaving, "It… it isn't like that."

Ritsuko smirked, "Really? Then Asuka's stories of you wearing your Daisy Dukes without panties around him aren't real?"

Misato flushed even harder, "That was a joke meant to tease Kaji, Ritsuko, but when Kaji had to cancel… well, Shinji became my next target. I like teasing him – sue me." Misato then sniffed, "Besides, Asuka has no room to talk with what SHE prances around in at the house."

"But we're not talking about an emotionally insecure girl, Misato, we're talking about an emotionally insecure woman – YOU. What are you intentions with Shinji?"

Misato sighed, "I… I don't know, alright? He's hurt, Rits, and now that he's starting to get better, I'm seeing some of my old Shinji back in there and… well, I don't know." Misato leaned against the wall and looked at her college friend, "I'm not saying I've already got the silk straps, leather Dom stuff you bought me as a gag gift and whipped cream out, but I'm also not saying that's out of the cards either. I just want to try and take it slow, see if he's interested, and what will be… will be."

Ritsuko sighed and nodded, walking over and resting beside Misato, "I understand, Misato, but if it doesn't work out… can I borrow the silk, leather and- OOF!" Ritsuko's words cut off as Misato elbowed her in the gut and pushed her aside in a manner that was only tinged with play.

"Like he'd want an old hag like you."

Inside of the medical room, Shinji and Rei both jumped as Ritsuko's voice yelled, "I AM NOT OLD!"

AN: Alright, here's the next part – as I said, I didn't promise anything and am trying, I really am. Reviews, please.


	8. Chapter 8

8

AN: Somewhat more adult subject matter here – you've been warned. Also, I've never hid the fact I'm not an Asuka fan – if you are, this will probably be a harsh chapter for you to read.

(Elevator up to Misato's apartment)

"I am NOT old," Ritsuko muttered to herself as she rode the elevator up towards Misato's apartment, tugging slightly at her skirt as the car slowly crept its way up to the appropriate floor. She was, after all, only thirty – sure, her body was starting to show a few signs of getting older, but biologically she was hitting her stride and her sexual peak, a fact that had been wasted on Gendo with his 'Wham, bam, see you next time' encounters with her. Was she proud of what she'd done with him? Well, yes, she was – powerful men had always turned her on and, with Gendo, at least at first, it had been a thrill to know that she was bedding her boss, the most powerful man in town, but later it had turned into a job, one she wasn't looking forwards to at all. It got her projects funded and he might even let a few things slip on purpose, but beyond that, the joy had gone out of it.

Now, though, her attention was on Shinji, which both disturbed and intrigued her to no end – less than a month ago he'd been a young teen who, she would admit, had something about him that most definitely caused more than a few cases of flushed cheeks and vivid dreams among some other ladies in NERV, but with Ritsuko he had been the son of the boss. Now, though, he was prime real estate, untouched and ready for development… and if what Misato had told her earlier that day was true, she would have some stiff competition from the naturally purple Major if/when it came down to whom would bed him. It was so totally different from what she had know that, again, it disturbed Ritsuko more than she cared to admit, given that he was not in power or in much of a position to get her what she wanted, but at the same time it was too enticing to pass up.

The elevator car stopped with a slight shudder and the doors opened, but instead of a blank wall in front of her, Ritsuko found herself staring at a glaring Misato Katsuragi, "Misato?"

Misato stepped into the car, punched the first button down and waited for the doors to close before she pulled the emergency stop button, "We need to talk, Ritsuko."

Ritsuko arched one dark eyebrow, "Then talk."

Misato looked her up and down and took note of the short skirt, halter top and jacket combo her friend was wearing, "First of all, where are the rest of your clothes?"

Ritsuko growled and looked at Misato's own tank top and cutoff clothes, "I could ask you the same thing, Major."

"It's my home and Shinji's used to seeing me in this, for one, and secondly at least I'm wearing a bra," Misato pointed out, causing Ritsuko to flush a bit. "Look, we talked about this earlier – I'm taking it slow with him, so don't try and snake him out from under me, alright?"

Hearing the sincerity in her friend's voice, Ritsuko shrugged, "Fine, now hold this." She doffed her jacket, handed it to Misato, took a strapless bra out of her purse, handed said purse to Misato, and quickly put on the bra before she started to re-dress herself, "I figured you'd call me on it, so I came prepared."

Misato, blushing lightly at how brazen her friend was being even in he confines of the elevator car, said nothing as she handed Ritsuko's things back to her and restarted the car's ride down, "You worry me, Ritsuko."

The scientist gave her a shark's smile, "I should."

&&&&

"Asuka, this isn't going to get done any fast if you keep eating the vegetables before I cook them," Shinji said in a voice that said that his patience was getting near the limit.

Asuka smirked a bit and snaked her hand out, snatching another carrot, "What are you going to do? Spank me?"

"Someone sure as hell should have by now," he muttered under his breath. He was doing his best to not strangle Asuka, he really was, but if her hand 'accidentally' touched him or she 'forgot' he was in the bathroom one more time, he was going to ask the new Commander to relocate her elsewhere. While he might have had such fantasies before, now, though, he was older and in Mega-Tokyo 3, she was still jail bait.

Asuka glared at him, "What was that?"

Shinji stirred the vegetable in the wok harder, "I said 'someone sure as hell should have by now', Asuka. I'm not looking to start a fight and I would hope that you'd be mature enough to not start one now."

The redhead glared at him, "Hey! Just because you got a physical boost doesn't mean that you're better than me, baka!" She pointed her finger at him, "And DON'T think you can get away with trying to choke me again, buster."

Shinji did his best to keep his temper in check as he forcefully stirred the stir-fry, "Asuka, if I wanted to kill you, there are better and more effective ways for me to do it than to choke you." He absently heard the door open and close after a few seconds before he went on, "After all, I am, as Misato has called me, Lord of the Kitchen. I could name any number of things right here that I can use against you. Remember that while you're leaving."

Asuka glared at him as she stormed out of the kitchen, storming past both Misato and Doctor Akagi as she did, and once she was within her own room, she slumped against the door and refused to cry. She was NOT going to lose out on Shinji… the one constant in her life these days…

Back in the living room, Ritsuko and Misato both blinked as they both looked back and forth between the kitchen and Asuka's room. They had heard Shinji's remarks when they had come in and while Ritsuko could only guess as to what had garnered that kind of response from Shinji, Misato had a good idea what had started it.

"Shinji, is something wrong?" Ritsuko went into the kitchen and looked at the man in the frilly pink apron, "What's going on with Asuka?"

Shinji didn't turn around as he continued to work the wok and dinner, "Apparently she has designs on me that would be construed as illegal in most civilized cultures, Ritsuko. I explained to her that she needed to be more mature about a few things and she got snitty." He removed dinner from the wok and set it off to the side, "Honestly, if she doesn't grow up some time soon, I'm going to ask for one of us to be moved."

Ritsuko arched an eyebrow and looked back at Misato, who looked more than a little concerned, and then back at Shinji, "Is that so? Are you sure this isn't her way of acting out, Shinji? After all, her status quo has been severely shifted as of late and we all know how poorly she takes that."

"Don't defend her, Ritsuko," Misato said, her eyes narrowing a bit. "She's been acting this way since day one, as if we needed to bow down and kiss her feet for being allowed to be 'graced' with her presence. I know she has issues, but those issues are what lead to her being choked by Shinji not too long ago, if you'll recall."

Ritsuko frowned at this little tidbit – sure, she'd heard about some of Asuka's tantrums, but… was it this bad? She shook her head and doffed her jacket quickly, "We can talk about this later, you two. Dinner is waiting, isn't it, Shinji?"

AN: Yes, I know, another short chapter, but this is where the muse decided to cut me off for the night. I'm going to see about another chapter or two soon. Reviews, please.


	9. Chapter 9

9

(NERV Medical)

"How in the hell did this happen?"

Ritsuko looked up at Shinji, who had been standing next to Asuka's bed for nearly ten minutes before he finally spoke, and arched her eyebrow at him, "You care?"

He gave her a flat look in return, "Look, I'll admit I didn't care for her attitude, but I didn't want to see her hurt."

Ritsuko nodded, looking down at the chart she had in her hand, "I can't tell you that, Shinji."

"Can't or won't?"

Ritsuko jerked slightly at the tone in Shinji's voice, a tone she knew all too well from his unlamented father, and looked up at him. His eyes were flat, his lips were drawn into a straight line and, if he'd had the beard and glasses, yes, he would have been Gendo… "I can't, not right now. Shinji, believe me when I say that I don't know why the bio-feedback link in Unit-02 reacted the way it did with Asuka this time, but we're running a battery of tests on the computers, on the EVA and on Asuka. You need to relax – it will take time."

Shinji snorted and shook his head before he turned away and walked out of the hospital room, brushing past Misato as she walked in.

Misato looked back at Shinji, her lips drawn into a frown, and then back at Ritsuko, "Any changes, Doctor?"

Ritsuko shook her head, "Nothing quantifiable, Major. Physically she's fine, everything is working as it should, but… she's just not waking up. I can't tell you why right now."

Misato sighed, nodding her head, "I know, I'm sorry."

It had been a standard Synch Test to begin with, Asuka saying that she would go first 'to show Baka Shinji how it's done', and while the entire thing had been going on, nothing had shown to be out of the ordinary. Things had gone fine with Activation and, once the plane had been breached, that's when things started to change a bit, namely when Ritsuko had ordered the Entry Plug to be lowered another .2 meters into the LCL testing tank. The bio-feedback circuits that connected the Plug and Pilot to the Eva itself began to malfunction on a level that nobody could seem to get ahead of and Asuka had begun screaming as Ritsuko killed the entire uplink. Sure, Misato knew that due to the abrupt termination, there might be some damage to Asuka's system, but nothing on this level should have happened…

"Misato, just go home, okay?" She looked up and saw Ritsuko there, shaking her head. "There's nothing you can do for Asuka here and I think it would be best if someone talked with Shinji."

Misato sighed, "You're right, and someone's going to have to go to the school to tell them Asuka won't be returning for the foreseeable future." She groaned and shook her head, "Do you think I can con Shinji into going?" Ritsuko shrugged but said nothing as she went back to looking at her charts, which made Misato sigh again, "Right. Bribery it is."

"Just don't molest him, Misa-chan," Ritsuko said over her shoulder before Misato left the room, getting a growl out of the purple-tressed one.

Misato found Shinji exiting the changing room and the pair of them walked to her car in silence. Neither said a word on the way home, nor did they say anything until the door slid shut, at which point Misato flopped on the couch, "Can you get me a beer, Shin-kun? I get the feeling it's going to be one of those nights."

Shinji snorted slightly and ignored the fridge where the beer was kept, instead going for the harder stuff and two glasses of ice, "Do you know anything about what happened, Misato?"

"No, Shinji, I don't," Misato muttered as he poured the Jack Daniels into the glasses, coming up about two thirds of Misato's glass before he dumped the ice in his and gave himself the same amount. She turned over from her face-down position and took the drink, smiling weakly at him, "Thanks, though I didn't know you were much of a drinking man."

"I'm not, but this is a special occasion," he commented as he walked around the couch, Misato moved her legs and he sat, her legs going right over his lap before he was fully seated. In all honestly, he wasn't sure how well he'd hold his liquor, but if Misato was going to be blitzed, who better to be in company with?

"Wark!" Shinji and Misato both looked down at Pen-Pen, who was looking at them both expectantly, as if asking where HIS glass of whiskey was.

Misato looked at him, arching her eyebrow before pulling her legs back, "Well?"

Shinji sighed and got Pen-Pen his own drink.

(Next Morning)

"Kill me, please," she heard him moan quietly while doing his best to burrow even deeper into his pillows.

'Lightweight,' Misato thought even as her own hangover began to abate. Instead of giving him the sweet release of death from his first hangover, she instead walked over to his window and ripped them open, bathing the room, her and him in the harsh sunlight, "Gah."

Shinji hissed as if he were a vampire bathed in sunlight, doing a barrel roll in his blankets and bed, a roll that managed to send him crashing to his floor and sent him into a string of curses that impressed Misato for a moment. When the curses stopped, though, his voice returned, "Why did you do that, Misato-chan? Don't you love me?"

Misato smiled a bit as the pain in her eyes ebbed, kneeling next to him and kissing him on the back of his head, "Of course I love you, Shin-chan, but you have work to do today."

He shook his head, doing his best to roll under his bed so he could go back to sleep, "It's too early."

"It's almost noon, Shinji."

There was a slight pause for a moment before Shinji's blanket came from over his face, his eyes scrunched almost completely shut, "Like I said, it's too early." He started to pull his blankets over his face again but stopped, pulled them back down, and noted that Misato was currently only dressed in a towel around her body and another around her head. He arched an eyebrow at her, "Trying to give me a free show, Misato-chan?"

Misato had the good grace to blush as she stood, pulling her towel around her even tighter, "No, if I was trying I wouldn't be wearing the towel around my body, Shinji. Now, get up and get in the shower."

Shinji shook his head gently and crawled his way to the bathroom, where he did his best to ignore his mind's offerings of mental pictures of Misato with only a towel in her hair. "Damned traitorous body," he grumbled the entire time from the first reaction to the point he finished getting dressed. Normally he wouldn't MIND those thoughts of Misato (or Rei, or Ritsuko, or Hikari, or any number of females he knew…), but if he didn't calm down SOON, she was going to notice and tease him mercilessly.

Misato was just buttoning up her shorts as he walked into the kitchen, a lazy kind of grin on her face as she looked up, "Oh, Shinji?"

He looked hat warily, "Yes?"

She walked up to him and hugged him, "Just so you know, it's alright to grope a girl in her sleep, but I tend to like to be awake if you grope me." Indeed he HAD groped her a bit last night, though it had been slightly drunken in that he had fallen asleep on her chest and had taken to maneuvering his 'pillows' back into position. She'd enjoyed it, given that she wasn't anywhere NEAR as plastered as he was and it had indeed been a while since anyone but herself had touched her, but still, she had an opening to use, so she wasn't going to pass it up.

Shinji's brain locked up at the thought of him groping Misato and he was only able to give out a weak, "Huh?"

Misato snickered slightly in his chest and her hands wandered down, groping him in return, causing him to jump and squeak, "Fair is fair, Shinji."

Shinji couldn't be reached for comment, as his brain had proceeded to melt down at this point.

Misato finally took pity on him and kissed him on the cheek, "Now, finish up breakfast so you can go to the school and report about Asuka."

This snapped Shinji out of his personal Blue Screen of Death and made him look down at Misato, "Me? Why me?"

"Because I have to go into work due to some big restructuring thing and, well, I figured you'd want to see your friends again."

Shinji gave her a look, "They won't know it's me, Misato. I mean, it's not exactly like I can tell them what happened, you know."

Misato patted him on the cheek, her eyes filled with sympathy, "I know, Shinji, but just be yourself. It shouldn't take you too long."

He sighed, "Fine." He then paused, "Um, one question."

"What is it?"

"How am I going to get there? It's not like I can drive or anything…"

(School)

"Injured, you say?"

Shinji, now dressed in a sports coat and matching tie, nodded, "Indeed. While I cannot divulge all of the details, Asuka was injured and will not be returning to school for the foreseeable future."

The principal, a man of middle years, no hair and a decided lack of physical stature sighed and sat back in his chair, "I am sorry to hear that, Mr. Masaki. To lose two of the three Children is a hard thing."

Shinji held his wince in check – not only had he learned that the Principal had known of his, Asuka's and Rei's status, but the fact that he'd chosen the first name that had come to mind when asked (Tenchi Misaki, a fact he blamed on Misato due to her collection of the OVA's…) when meeting the man, a name he was now stuck with. He just hoped Misato didn't hear of this… the woman might try and dress Pen-Pen up as Ryo-Ohki or something, or worse, herself as Ryoko, "Indeed."

The man sighed and nodded, standing, "Very well, Mr. Misaki, we need to go to her class to tell her fellow students of this."

Shinji started to sweat, "We do?"

The Principal nodded, "Yes, we do."

Shinji sighed inwardly and stood, following the man to the classroom where they interrupted another lesson on the Second Impact, "Excuse me, class, but I'm afraid I have some terrible news. It has been brought to my attention that Miss Sohryu has been injured and will not be returning to class for the foreseeable future. Mister Misaki here," the man pointed to Shinji, who started to sweat ever more, "is here to pick up her things, so please be helpful."

As soon as the Principal left, Kensuke was up in his chair, "YES! The Red Devil is gone!"

Shinji growled a little bit and this sound echoed through the room even as Class Representative Horaki glared daggers at Kensuke, "I am sorry to see you take such pleasure in the misfortune of others, Mister Aida."

His friend appeared to jerk back, blushing as the class looked at him, "Hey, it's not like that, it's just that she-"

"Is in a coma and isn't likely to wake up any time soon," Shinji snapped. Gaining control of his temper, Shinji walked to Hikari, "I'll need her things."

The pony-tailed girl nodded, her face sad and eyes watering slightly, "Of course, sir."

Seeing her in pain, Shinji couldn't help but try and alleviate her sorrow a bit, "Don't worry about it, Miss Horaki. If there's one thing I know about her, Asuka is going to make people's lives hell when she wakes up."

Hikari looked up, shocked, "You know her?"

"Better than you would think," Shinji said, nodding slightly as he heard something that sounded suspiciously like a snort from Rei's direction. Locking his eyes on the Albino girl's, she flushed a little but he could still see her trying to keep a laugh or a giggle from coming out.

"Do you know Shinji?"

"Probably even better than I do Asuka," he allowed, which got another muffled snort out of Rei.

Hikari nodded as she grabbed Asuka's things, "He's missed around here, you know?"

Shinji blinked and shook his head, "No, I didn't. From what I understand, he was something of an introvert and tended to avoid attention."

Hikari snorted in a very undignified way, "Sometimes I think he ran the three ring circus better than I did." She then blushed and ducked her face down as she handed him several folders, "Is he awake?"

Shinji nodded, remembering what he was allowed to say as far as his 'current condition', "Yes, he is, but he won't be attending school any longer due to… complications."

Hikari sighed, "That's what we figured. Is he still living with Major Katsuragi? Some of us might want to visit him on occasion, sir."

Shinji nodded, "Yes, he does, but be sure to call first. Security being what it is since the Commander's untimely death, it's better to make an appointment than to be construed as an attacker."

Kensuke shot to his feet, "You people think we'd attack Shinji?"

Shinji shot Kensuke a look that made the spectacled boy sit back down, "Given that his father was murdered inside of the hospital not twenty feet away from Mr. Ikari, we're not taking any chances." He reached into his jacket and removed a slip of paper, "I've been told that you and two others are allowed access to this account, Miss Horaki. Do not abuse this privilege." With that, Shinji turned on his heel and exited the classroom.

Not two seconds later, he could hear the whispering starting, though he was more than a little mortified as most of it centered on how 'gorgeous' he was. Yes, he was much better off dealing with Misato and a possibly cabbit-fied Pen-Pen…

AN: I just let the muse wander on this one – given that my original idea for this story was blown out of the water some time back, who knows where this is going.

What do you think? Reviews, please.


	10. Chapter 10

10

AN: Mostly working on the Rei side of things here, solidifying Misato's hold on Shinji…

(School)

Rei Ayanami watched Shinji Ikari, who was now using the name of Tenchi Masaki, leave the room and hid a little giggle as the room erupted into chaos not long after that. The giggle, of course, didn't last long as she caught herself while Class Representative Horaki tried to regain control over the class; of late, since the Commander's murder, she had found herself feeling… very odd at times. Before, she knew, she'd felt nothing that she was not ordered to feel, but once the treatments in the LCL tanks had stopped, she'd found her mind wondering at times, she'd found herself musing over possibilities, and she'd even found herself reacting in ways that had been totally out of character before.

Her computer pinged and she looked down at the message box that had popped up, blushing lightly as she recognized the screen name for Kensuke Aida, 'What's going on here, Ayanami-san? Who was that goon?'

Rei felt a flash of anger scorch through her, enough that she turned her head and gave Aida-san a glare that caused him to flinch a little before turning back to her screen and typing, 'He is who he says he was, one Tenchi Masaki.'

Another ping, 'snort Forgive me if I don't believe you, given that he looked EXACTLY like the Commander, sans beard. Was he telling us the truth about Shinji and the Red Devil?'

'Yes, he was.'

'takes off glasses and bats eyes Care to elaborate for me? Please?'

Rei felt a little more heat rush to her cheeks as something inside of her began to feel… odd. Another thing she had noticed of late was that she was noticing the male half of the species, specifically males around her age. Yes, she had been ordered by the Commander to seduce Shinji, but ever since she had begun to feel these feelings, not to mention with her last conversation with him in the hospital, any feelings she felt around here were not of the type that would allow a romantic situation to take place. When she tried, her stomach actually turned and she was filled with revulsion at the thought… and not because he wasn't pleasant to look at. No, it was something else, something else entirely…

Another ping, 'Rei?'

Rei shook herself out of her reverie and typed, 'We will speak at lunch.'

'Alright, I'll be there with bells on. wiggles foot and bells jingle'

Rei covered her mouth to prevent an eruption of giggles – Aida-kun was so funny at times…

(NERV)

"So, do I call you Mr. Masaki? And, if so, who am I? Personally, I'd go with the super sexy space pirate Ryoko," Misato said upon seeing him, a teasing grin on her face.

Shinji blushed, gulped, but then decided on a new tactic rather than being the target – he became the aggressor, "Well, I don't know, Misato. I mean, yes, you're even prettier than Ryoko, but as I haven't found you floating above my bed when I wake up, I'm not sure you'd fit the bill."

Sadly, Misato's returning smirk told him that he'd just walked into her carefully planned trap, "Well, if you want, I can work up a harness of some type… and I've got this cute little cosplay costume I'd be willing to try on for you. You just have to help me get Pen-Pen into the Ryo-Ohki outfit."

"Then the idea's pretty much dead in the water." The pair walked towards the elevators and Shinji looked over at her, "You were spying on me?"

Misato shook her head, "Not overtly." She reached up and took his tie pin away from him, "A little microphone, just in case."

Shinji frowned, "Since when did NERV get our own Q branch?"

Misato snorted, "So we've gone from Tenchi Muyo to James Bond, eh?"

Shinji smirked a little, "Ikari, Shinji Ikari, at your service, madam." He took her hand and kissed it, causing his one-time guardian to blush brightly, "Still, how are we going to tell the others about this? I mean, it's not like we can tell them the truth when they ask."

Misato shrugged, "We'll figure it out in a little while. For now, though, we have to get you into a plugsuit and see if you can still run an EVA, Shinji. Just because we've had some time off of late doesn't mean the Angels won't still come."

Shinji sighed, slumping in on himself. He hated that damned suit…

A half-hour, two wrong turns and a change later, Misato was hammering on the locker room door, "Come on, Shinji, it's time to go out!"

The door opened and Shinji exited the locker room in a white terrycloth robe, his plugsuit and neural interface unit both in place, "Alright, let's go."

Misato arched her eyebrow at him, "What's this?"

"I'm not about to parade around in this dominatrix reject for the world to see, Misato," Shinji said as they started their way towards the Synch Test center. "I have my pride now, after all."

Misato rolled her eyes, "You have nothing to be ashamed of, Shinji, trust me."

They made their way to the Entry Plug and, once inside of it, Shinji tossed out the robe before the hatch was sealed. Inside of the control room, Ritsuko looked at Misato, "What was that about?"

"Apparently Shinji has issues with the fact that the suits are so skin tight," Misato replied, sitting in her chair and rubbing her temple. "Something about it being a dominatrix reject."

Ritsuko chuckled even as several of the bridge bunnies snorted, "Well, it is necessary for him to wear it. Now, people, let's have a successful test and try not to put another of our Pilots into the hospital."

"That wasn't our fault, Doctor Akagi," Makoto said, pushing his glasses up on his nose.

"Be quiet, Makoto," Maya said as she keyed the Activation sequence to begin, her eyes glued to her monitor. "Activation sequence beginning, circuits connecting…"

(School)

"You wanted to talk in private, Ayanami-san?" Rei's head jerked up from her lunch at Aida's voice and looked at him, allowing her to see that he was a little worried, enough so that he asked, "Are you alright?"

Rei nodded and motioned for him to sit, "I am fine, Aida-san."

The spectacled boy frowned a bit and narrowed his eyes, "Then what's going on? I heard you snorting today at what that Masaki guy was saying and, well, you don't snort, let alone giggle."

Rei blushed a little bit at having been caught before she nodded, "You are correct, I do not normally act like that, but then again as of late… I have been changing."

Kensuke blushed this time, "I've noticed. You've grown a few centimeters."

Rei looked at him, her cheeks still pink, "Not physically in this instance, Aida-san, but thank you for noticing. No, I've changed because… something has changed at NERV. I am not as I once was."

"How so?"

Rei took a breath, let it out slowly, and then looked at him seriously, "I require your word of honor that nothing I am about to say will ever be repeated."

Kensuke blinked and nodded quickly, "You have my word."

Rei shook her head, "You do not understand. If you do not keep your word, you will be terminated. I… would not enjoy that."

Kensuke blinked again but nodded, this time slower, "I understand and you still have my word."

Rei nodded and, haltingly, began to explain her treatment sessions with the Commander in the depths of NERV, leaving out a great many things that were not germane to the discussion, but then got to the Commander's orders to get closer to Shinji after his 'recovery', "I was ordered to seduce him."

Kensuke blinked, "You… what?"

Rei shook her head, "At first, I did indeed attempt to get closer to Pilot Ikari in order to follow the Commander's orders, but now… I feel… differently." Rei frowned, touching herself on the stomach, "I cannot explain, but when I try to think of Pilot Ikari… Shinji… in a sexual manner, I feel a churning sensation here and I cannot force myself to think of him that way."

Kensuke frowned and scratched his temple, "Well, if you find him ugly, I guess that could explain it…"

Rei shook her head, "No, I do not find him physically unpleasing, rather it is something… else." She blew out another breath, this one laced with more than a little irritation, "I cannot explain it as of yet."

Kensuke nodded at this for a moment before he paused, appearing to be thinking as to how to phrase his next question, "Don't get me wrong, Ayanami-san, I appreciate this information… but why are you telling me all of this? I mean, we aren't exactly friends."

Rei appeared to shrink a little and looked down at her hands, which had fallen into her lap, "I… am alone, Aida-san. Apart from my connection to Ikari-kun and my visits to the medical facilities with Doctor Akagi, I have nobody to speak to."

Rei's mind was so focused on the fact that she indeed had no one that she didn't notice that tears had begun to drip out of her eyes… and she didn't notice that Kensuke had noticed until he awkwardly hugged her. She froze for a moment, unsure what to do, but then she decided to mimic his actions and hugged him back just as awkwardly.

After a moment the pair let go and both of them were blushing brightly, Kensuke being the first to speak, "I'm sorry to hear that, Ayanami-san."

Rei wiped her cheeks with a handkerchief that Kensuke offered her, nodding at him, "Thank you, Aida-san." She looked at her lunch and then at his lunch, "I do believe we should eat before the bell rings."

Kensuke nodded, "Sure. It's been a little different without Touji here, but as he's coming back soon, I'd better eat what I can before he comes back and commandeers my lunch."

Rei frowned at this, "I thought Class Representative Horaki made him lunch."

Kensuke nodded, "Yes, she does, but invariably I end up missing part of my lunch."

Rei continued to frown at this and began to think of how she could make some extra food to combat this… travesty.

AN: Well, there we go. Shinji's virtue is safe from Rei… but who is going to save Kensuke from Shinji when he decides to have 'chat' with his friend about what'll happen if Rei gets hurt? Should be interesting. Reviews, please.


	11. Chapter 11

Born of Conflict

AN: Am trying to revive the bunny, so let's see where this takes us. No promises as to how badly this is going to go…

11

"That was mean, Misato," Shinji said with a grin on his face while Misato celebrated with her 'victory' with a beer.

Misato finished chugging her beverage of choice and let out a belch before she grinned at Shinji, "You can't tell me you were not thinking about it ever since you chose your name at the school."

Shinji shrugged, sitting back against the couch, "Of course I was thinking about it, but… I just didn't think you actually HAD the cosplay outfit to go with it."

Misato grinned again and pulled off her cyan wig, "Hey, I said I had it… though it would have been more convincing if Pen-Pen had played along."

Kensuke and Touji had shown up at their apartment looking for 'Shinji the younger', as Shinji had taken to calling his former self, and had walked in on 'Ryoko' molesting 'Tenchi'. Both boys had, thankfully, taken things better than Shinji would have thought they would have, but that was mostly due to Hikari showing up and beating them both into submission. Shinji had a theory that she somehow got off on the power she had over her classmates, but he had no real proof… aside from the satisfied look in her eyes when both of the boys had been properly cowed.

The meeting had gone well enough, though the trio appeared to not believe the 'Shinji has been moved away from Tokyo-3 for his continued rehabilitation' story that Misato had given them after she had stopped playing around, nor did they truly believe Shinji's story of being 'Shinji's uncle' when Kensuke had asked why he looked so much like his younger self. Shinji had wanted to say, 'Because I am him,', but he figured that they wouldn't have taken that well at all.

Misato stretched back for a moment and Shinji enjoyed the view of her in Ryoko's rather form-fitting outfit before she stopped stretching, "Now, what are we going to do about your in the Eva, Shinji? We need to see if you can still run it."

Shinji sighed, "I don't want to run it, Misato. If I offered to take you away to a tropical island, marry you and supply all of the beer you could drink, would that get me out of these tests?"

Misato blinked and looked at him for a moment before her eyes narrowed, "ALL of the beer I could drink?"

Shinji nodded, "Yes."

"And a free liver transplant?"

"Of course."

She shook her head, "No dice, Shinji."

Shinji sighed, "Damn." He looked back at her, "How about for hours upon hours of great, not-strings sex?"

Misato blinked several times at Shinji before she managed to get out, "Since when did you become so bold, Shinji?"

"Desperation can cause a man to do many things, Misato," he said somewhat sagely. "If it keeps me out of that plugsuit, I'll do whatever I have to do."

(NERV)

Rei pressed the pressure button on her wrist and smiled slightly as the thin, white material conformed to her body in a way that could be considered… pleasing. She briefly wondered how Aida-kun would react to her in her plugsuit but Rei banished the thought almost immediately – her research told her that pushing things too far at such an early stage could possibly cause her subject to 'rabbit'. That would be… bad… to say the least. Aida-kun had attracted her attention for some reason and she did not want to do anything that would remove that attention.

The door to the locker room opened and Rei growled slightly under her breath for at her thoughts being disturbed. Looking up she saw that it was Lieutenant Ibuki and the woman was looking down at her clipboard, "First Child?"

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"Doctor Akagi asked me to inform you that you and Shinji will not be testing together today. He apparently had 'problems' with his plugsuit and it will be several more hours before said problems are remedied."

A pale blue eyebrow arched in Maya's direction, "'Problems', Lieutenant?"

Maya's cheek flushed slightly as she stared down at her clipboard a little bit harder and continued to doodle on the paper there, "Apparently he feels that his uniform should not be as… revealing… as it is."

Rei arched her eyebrow a little higher, "Revealing. I was unaware that Ikari-kun was so modest."

"He's always been modest."

"Not when he was on top of me in my apartment with his hand on my breast," Rei pointed out before walking by Maya. Once past Maya, Rei smiled a little and, had anyone been around to see it, they would have described the smile as slightly devious. Good. Let the woman draw from that was she would…

In the changing room, Maya's eyes were wide and the pencil in her hand had snapped from the pressure. Shinji? Rei? Naked? Since when?

AN: Well, alright, here we go. A little bit of fun, a little bit of insanity… though the pair are not mutually exclusive at times. Who knew Rei was such a devious creature?

Will hopefully finish this one day…

Maybe.

Hopefully.

Reviews, please.


	12. Chapter 12

Born of Conflict

12

Ritsuko sighed as she felt a familiar throbbing begin in her temple, "Shinji, be reasonable about this."

From inside of the men's changing room, Shinji sounded anything but reasonable, "At least a robe, Ritsuko! Last time we did this I felt like a piece of meat being paraded around."

Why, oh why, had the new Commander outlawed smoking in the workplace, Ritsuko wondered as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "Shinji, it's not that bad."

Shinji stuck his head out of the room and, for not the first time, Ritsuko's heart skipped a beat with just how much he looked like his father, "No. I have my pride."

"Misato would argue that, especially given the act you two put on earlier today," the faux-blonde doctor pointed out. "Still, we've changed the color of your plugsuit, what more do you want?"

"Something that isn't so tight you can tell what religion I am?"

Ritsuko was 'saved' from having to answer that question when Misato came up behind her with her traditional, "Hey, Rits."

"Hello, Misato. Can you talk to Shinji about coming out here? We need to finish running the tests with him in the Eva."

"And he's suddenly conscious about how he looks in his plugsuit, I'm guessing," Misato said with a slight smile.

"Damned right," came Shinji's response. "I just want to wear a robe out or something.

Misato shrugged, remembering what color had been picked for Shinji, "How about some dark shades and a long duster to go with the black instead?"

Shinji didn't deem that worthy of a response so he stayed silent.

Ritsuko glared at Misato for a moment before she sighed, "Alright, fine, I'll get you a robe. Is that all?"

"Unless you can swing an island with a number of scantily clad native girls, no," Shinji said somewhat sullenly.

Ritsuko paused and looked at Misato, who looked to be bristling a little, "I didn't think Shinji spent that much time around Kaji, Misato."

"He didn't. That might be partially influenced by Kaji, but that's a lot of Shinji."

"What makes you say that?"

"Kaji would have demanded the native girls be us and there be no clothes involved," the purple-haired vixen pointed out. "Now, let's go find Shinji a robe before I'm tempted to drag him out of there by whatever is handy for me to grab."

(Walkway to Evas)

Shinji held his head high, doing the best he could to salvage what little dignity he could still lay claim to. It was all he could do, really.

His plulgsuit had, at his request, been changed from blue and silver to something less… revealing. What he wished he had done, though, was to pick an actual color. His plugsuit was now a solid, glossy black with matte back in certain places, making him look like the poster boy for latex fetishists everywhere. He'd refused to go out in public (as public as NERV was, anyway) in it without something over it and Misato had provided him a robe… a pink, fluffy bathrobe.

'She is evil,' Shinji decided as he continued to walk. 'She must be. There is no other explanation.'

She had, though, offered to find him some bunny slippers to go with said bathrobe, but he politely declined.

He could feel the eyes on him now and he could also feel the mirth in the air from the workers and staff, all of it directed at him, so he held his head high and shoulders straight as he crawled into the Entry Plug.

At the command bridge, Misato looked over at Ritsuko, "I'll give him credit – he made it look good."

Ritsuko snorted into her coffee cup as the pink bathrobe came flying out of the plug before the hatch was sealed, "He'll find a way to get even with you for this, Misato."

"How?"

"He'll stop cooking?"

"I've eaten my own cooking for years, Ritsuko," Misato said with more than a little heat as someone on the bridge quietly snickered. "I'm certainly none the worse for wear."

Ritsuko wisely kept her comments to herself as the Entry Plug was inserted, "Alright, people, stay sharp. Maya, start us off."

(Inside Entry Plug)

Shinji grimaced at the taste of the LCL as he let out another breath. He hated the taste of blood…

"Alright, Shinji," Ritsuko's voice cut in, her tone professional, "we're going to start up now so try and relax."

"Will do, doctor," he said quietly as he felt the power begin to thrum through the Entry Plug. "What if something goes wrong?"

Ritsuko's ominous silence answered Shinji's question for him.

'Crap.'

AN: Yes, yes, I'm evil. Get over it and review, please.


	13. Chapter 13

Born of Conflict

13

The Commander looked up at Ritsuko, "Are the numbers accurate?"

The doctor sighed and nodded, "They are, sir. While Pilot Ikari is capable of activating the Eva… his synch ratio is so low that he might as well not even bother until he's been retrained. It's why we use children in the first place," she went on to explain, her voice taking an odd tone to it. "Their minds are more adaptive-"

"I know, Doctor Akagi," Kozo said, shaking his head again. He leaned back into his chair and frowned, "Can he be retrained quickly?"

"Honestly, sir?"

"Preferably."

"No. We're still not sure about everything that happened to him when he aged, Commander, and I can't give you anything more accurate until we know that."

Kozo sighed and leaned forwards, "So now what? We only have the First Child left and any other Children whom we call will take weeks to train up to acceptable levels."

Ritsuko shrugged, "I'm not sure what else we can do, sir. Pilot Sohryu is not responding to treatments of any kind, so that's out of the question." Ritsuko withdrew a printout from her clipboard and slid it across the desk to the Commander, "We need to talk with the next Child, sir. Quickly."

Kozo looked at the identity of the next Child and sighed, "Do it."

(Elsewhere)

Shinji found himself eye-level with Unit-01, sitting on the catwalk some fifty feet away from it. He knew his mother's soul was in there. He KNEW his father had known about it, the bastard had to have… and did nothing about it. He also knew that he hated the damned thing with every fiber of his being. Oh, sure, he wanted to save mankind as much as the next person, and the only real thing about his new body that disturbed him was that he had to shave every other day or he started looking too much like his deceased yet unlamented father.

Shinji reached up and absently scratched the curve of his jaw, "What do I do now, Misato?"

"Get back in the saddle and ride again, Shinji."

He looked over to his left at his roommate and commanding officer, "What is it with you and these cowboy references recently? Or are they cowboy references?"

Misato gave him a suspicious look, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Shinji shrugged, "Well, Ritsuko was telling me about some of your more… risqué… college adventures…"

Misato snarled, "I'll KILL her!"

Shinji looked at her for a second before he smirked, "I'm kidding, Misato."

Misato's ire turned on him, "That's not funny, Shinji. Rumors like that can ruin a girl's reputation, you know?"

Shinji snorted, "If that's the case, we've been sleeping together since before I moved in with you, I've made my way through thirty percent of the ladies here at NERV and have expanded my throwing net out into the general public to give my mother grandchildren galore."

Unseen to all, deep within Unit-01 Yui's spirit brought out fans of celebration as she started to do the 'grandchildren' dance.

Shinji paused as he felt a cold chill go down his spine but he shook it off, "Either way, I don't put much stock in rumors."

Misato finally calmed down and shrugged, "True." She looked back over at the Eva and frowned, "Shinji?"

"Yeah?"

"Are Unit-01's eyes sparkling?"

AN: Short, yes. About all I could fit in during my time between classes. Reviews, please.


	14. Chapter 14

Born of Conflict

14

"Kensuke Aida. Touji Suzahara. Hikari Horaki. Come with me, please." All three looked up from their school work at the door and saw the man they knew as 'Tenchi Masaki' standing there, dressed in a NERV uniform and holding out a trio of papers to the teacher, who took them.

Hikari's mind went into overdrive and she turned on Kensuke, "What in the hell did you do now?"

Kensuke held up his hands quickly and shook his head so hard his glasses almost flew off, "I swear I didn't do anything!"

Touji rolled his eyes at the pair, "Since when did I become the responsible one?"

"If you three are quite finished…" All three stopped and blushed at the rather dry comment from Tenchi, who waved them forwards, "We have places to be. Miss Ayanami, come with us as well."

Rei nodded and put her things away before joining them without comment.

As soon as the door shut, the quintet walked out of the school and made it halfway down the block in a NERV van (driven by a Section 2 guard given that 'Tenchi' still didn't have a driver's license) before Kensuke broke the silence, "So… what'd we do? Not that I'm admitting anything, mind you..."

Tenchi snorted and shook his head, "Your electronic trips into NERV are well-known, Aida, and don't think you're going to get out of this without a long and probably loud conversation with several doctors and technicians about that, either. But no, that's not the reason you three are here."

Hikari fidgeted while Touji frowned and Kensuke blinked. Touji finally spoke, "We're Pilots, aren't we?"

Tenchi sighed and reached into his pocket, removing a one hundred Yen note before handing it back to Rei, who pocketed it with a well-hidden smile, "Why wouldn't you keep your mouth shut for another minute, Suzahara? That'd have been the easiest money I've ever made. Yes, you three are potential Pilots, but if you go on to become so is up to the egg heads and their tests. Anything else will have to wait for our arrival."

Kensuke, not happy with what they had not been told, turned around to Rei, "Well?"

Rei gave him a very level look for a second before she reached into her skirt pocket and removed the note she had just taken from 'Tenchi' and handed it back, "We will speak of this later, Aida-kun."

Most ominous…

(NERV – later)

With NDA's signed and the whole dog and pony show well under way, Shinji smiled a little as he watched the trio of new pilots absorb what they had just been told about EVA, about what they would be doing and where he fit into things. Their reactions had been… varied, ranging from Kensuke frowning, Touji openly balking and Hikari… was she blushing?

Touji stood up and stomped over to him, thrusting a finger into his chest, "You're not Shinji!"

Shinji couldn't help but smile a little, "How come? First rule of surviving NERV with any kind of sanity is to expect the unexpected and to learn to accept that things are not what they appear to be. I certainly didn't expect to go into an EVA, get sucked into it on the molecular level, come back OUT of it as an adult and still have to room with a rampaging hottie like Misato-chan. Not that I'm complaining about the last part, mind you, but I certainly didn't expect this."

"SEE?! Shinji doesn't talk like that!"

Shinji just shrugged, "Would you rather me act as I used to? Granted, it's taken a while to loosen up… but I can function like this."

Kensuke frowned a little more at this, "Just function?"

Shinji shrugged again, "You'll learn that sometimes 'just function' is all you can do when you do this job, Kensuke. You and Touji only got a little taste of what I do when you two snuck out of the bunker and I had to take you into the Entry Plug, but now you're going to see how bad of a job this can really be at times. I hope you can deal with it because, quite frankly, we need the help."

"Why?"

"Asuka is in a coma and probably won't wake up. I can barely activate my EVA anymore because of my changes and that leaves Rei by herself. This is unacceptable to many, hence why you three were activated." Shinji spared each of the three new Pilots a look that told them that he knew what they were feeling, but soon that look passed, "You're going to learn to do things nobody else can and you're going to have to learn them very quickly because we don't know when the next Angel is going to attack."

"And what if we don't want this?"

Shinji looked at Hikari for a second before he shrugged, "It's your call to say no, Hikari… but there are some out there who won't take no for an answer. They want to see the world keep going by any means necessary."

Hikari blushed and blanched several times as several things apparently went through her mind, "What about you?"

Shinji stayed silent for several moments before he sighed, "On the advice from Misato, I'm going to get back in the saddle and try to ride again."

Touji and Kensuke blinked and spoke as one, "Saddle? Misato?"

AN: Reviews, please.


	15. Chapter 15

15

(Home)

Shinji slowly sank onto the couch next to Misato, feeling more physically drained than he had been in weeks, "This sucks."

Misato snored.

From his other side, Pen-Pen looked up, "Wark?"

Shinji shook his head as Misato slowly slid over onto his shoulder, "Having to train three new Pilots while retraining myself is exhausting work, Pen-Pen. Even with Rei's help it's taking too long."

The warm water penguin looked up at Shinji with his cold, dark eyes and patted the human on the thigh with his flipper, as if saying 'there, there'.

Misato groaned against his side and Shinji snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. His roommate sighed and snuggled into his side a little more, "I'm afraid, Pen-Pen."

The penguin looked up but said nothing.

"I… I don't want to fail."

A blink.

Shinji sighed and hung his head, "I don't want them to end up like Asuka."

"Wark."

Shinji shook his head, "I know, that's not up to me, but they're my friends. I can't do that to them."

Misato pulled herself away from his shoulder for a moment, "Shinji? Who're ya talkin' to?"

"Pen-Pen."

"Wark."

Misato looked up at him blearily, sober but blearily, and frowned, "But… he's a penguin."

"A smart penguin.'

"Wark!"

Misato shook her head and laid it back down on his shoulder, "Tired. Can we just sleep here?"

Pen-Pen took his human's hint and hopped off of the couch and headed for his refrigerator, pausing only long enough to pass Shinji a look that said 'don't do anything I wouldn't do… or if you do, keep it to a dull roar'.

Shinji blinked as the penguin left. The surreal part of it was that not only had he been having an active conversation with the genetically modified penguin, but he seemed to understand the look said bird had given him. Was that proof of his mental condition?

Misato, for her part, snuggled into her man-sized pillow's side and was soon snoring lightly.

Shinji didn't sleep at all that night.

AN: Short, yes. Kinda fluffy, well, several people have been asking for Shinji/Misato fluff… there you go. Next up, maybe some combat. Reviews, please.


	16. Chapter 16

17

AN: Alright, an attempt at a longer chapter… and maybe some combat, too.

(NERV)

Touji looked around with more than a little worry, "Um… do either of you two have any idea what we're doing here?"

Kensuke shrugged, "Considering that we're in standard training gi… hand to hand combat training?" His eyes brightened behind his new glasses (not as large or round, now more sleek and square) and he grinned, "I wonder if we'll learn Kung Fu?"

Hikari snorted and adjusted the white belt around her waist, "I doubt it. Besides, you don't have the patience for that."

"What makes you say that, Hikari? Maybe I ca be a Kung Fu master."

She rolled her eyes, "Boys. Which style of Kung Fu would you learn then?"

Kensuke looked at Touji, who shrugged, and then he looked back at Hikari, "Um… Monkey style?"

Hikari's answer was cut off as the door to the small training room opened and in walked a man dressed in a similar gi, only his belt was black and had four red hash marks on the end. He wasn't tall or short, thin or heavily muscled, but his eyes dissected them all in the space of a few seconds. "Good afternoon, children. You are here to learn a rather generalized version of self defense."

Touji crossed his arms and frowned, "And who are you?"

The man smirked a little, "Your teacher."

Touji scowled, "Don't make fun of me! I'm-"

"YOU are nobody, not until I say otherwise. I have been hired by NERV to teach you three in hopes that it will somehow improve your ability to pilot those monstrosities that you call Evas."

Hikari stepped forwards, "Um, Sensei, what is your name?"

The man smirked a little more, "You can learn my name if you survive this first lesson, Horaki-san. Now, we begin."

(Elsewhere)

Shinji grunted as he hit the mat-padded ground AGAIN for the fifth time in the past ten minutes. Whose bright idea had it been for him to take up hand to hand training again?

"A whole two minutes. I'd be impressed if I wasn't so disappointed, Shin-chan."

Oh, yeah… "Why didn't you tell me that you were a certified brown belt, Misato?"

Misato grinned down at him, her hair plastered to her forehead with a light sheen of sweat, "Because you never asked. Granted, it's been a few years since I put anything CLOSE to my full effort into training, but I also haven't had to. Still, it'll help me get my girlish figure back, don't you think?"

Shinji got to his feet slowly and kept his mouth shut. If he answered yes, that would imply that she had lost her girlish figure. If he answered no, that might be taken to imply something else. Either answer would most probably get him tossed around harder and, despite the rumors, he wasn't into pain.

Misato smirked a little at Shinji as he stood up; he hadn't answered, which proved that he was still playing their little game. Oh, she'd left enough open-ended comments and questions over the past few hours to suggest that she had lost her figure and gotten fat (which, truthfully, wasn't quite true – she HAD put on a few pounds and this would most probably take them off), but he had yet to rise to the bait. "You alright, Shinji?"

"Good to go, Misato-chan. I'm kinda used to being a punching bag for a female with bad intentions," he said with a little grin on his lips, a grin that didn't reach his eyes.

"I'm not Asuka, Shinji. If I hit on you, it's for a reason."

He grinned, "So, you are admitting to hitting on me, then? Are you that hard-up for a date?"

She scowled at him and marked up a mental point for him, "I meant _physically_ hitting on you, Shinji. Why, do you want to go out on a date with me?"

He took up a very loose stance and motioned her in, "Couldn't hurt, especially given some of the rumors I overheard the other afternoon about what really goes on with us."

Misato took three steps in and lashed out with a kick, a kick he let slide by before he lashed out with one of his own aimed at the back of her knee. She absorbed the kick on the outside of her shin and punched out with a quick combo of jabs and crosses followed by another kick. She'd heard the rumors too and had openly laughed at them… but that didn't stop her own mind of turning against her and changing the young Shinji she saw in her mind to the older one doing those things to her.

She jerked back to the real world as Shinji's own return punch came in, slower and clumsier than what she'd expected, but then again he was a student, a white belt, and returned the punch in kind… only harder and faster. It hit true, yes, but he turned his head as her padded fist struck his padded chin, lessening the force of the blow and allowing him to continue his spin-

The back of Shinji's fist struck the side of Misato's own padded helmet and she saw double for a few seconds as she went down. Damn it, where'd he learn the spinning backfist? Had he been watching those old cage match DVD's she had?

"Misato-chan? Are you alright?"

"Fine, Shinji. I'm fine, just a little woozy. Have you been into my old DVD's again?"

Shinji blushed as he took off his helmet, "Um… maybe?"

Misato took off her own helmet and smirked, "Well, it's either the cage match ones, my action movies, my anime collection or my porn stash."

Shinji's blush deepened as he helped her to her feet (at a distance – she had used that trick once too often that had him on his back and her on top of him), "I only got into the action movies and cage matches, Misato! I didn't watch anything else."

Misato's grin bloomed again and took on a teasing glint, "Why not? Got something against anime? Orrrrr… were you waiting to see if I caught you watching porn?"

Shinji went on the offensive, "Why such a sudden interest in if I watch your porn or not, Misato? Are you mad I didn't tell you and ask you to watch with me?"

Misato blushed, "Shinji!" Damn it, ANOTHER point to him.

"Yes, Misato-chan?"

She took up a position and waved him in, "You're so going to pay for that."

(Elsewhere)

"How are they progressing, Doctor?"

"Well enough, I suppose. Shinji's synch ratio is up four percent and the Children are steadily improving. I am personally going to give this experiment of theirs six months to see if it bears any fruit."

"The Angels might not wait that long."

Ritsuko sighed, "No, Commander, they never do."

As if to prove a point about tempting Murphy, an overly familiar alarm went off.

AN: There, a longer chapter (barely). Sadly I can't seem to get the scene I WANT to follow this to hook up in a reasonable way so I'm going to chop it here and let it go out as-is. Reviews, please.


End file.
